


Of Monsters and Men

by meningitisyee



Series: Sons of Dathomir [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Crimson Dawn (Star Wars), Dark Past, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gen, Maul needs a hug, OC needs a hug, Past Child Abuse, Past Violence, Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Pre-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Redemption, References to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Slow Burn, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 Spoilers, first time writing fics, please send suggestions, small girl big world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:13:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 32,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25361458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meningitisyee/pseuds/meningitisyee
Summary: It all seems so poetic now. Really, it does. An orphan born of a curbside whore and a big city gangster, dumped into one of the many so called “orphanages” of the deepest sublevels of Nar Shaddaa, somehow manages to live to be eighteen while still possessing her freedom. Stoic, isn’t it?Viera Rokal leaves Nar Shaddaa for the first time on an corporate freighter. She was hired on as a grunt worker in the mechanic room, because after all, hourly laborers are cheaper than repair droids am I right? In a freak accident and a by chance rescue, Viera is brought into her new life along side a dark and mysterious man.
Relationships: Darth Maul/Original Character(s)
Series: Sons of Dathomir [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857832
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. Orphan

**Author's Note:**

> hey all! this is my first fic so I really have no idea what im doing, please send me feedback because this is something I have been wanting to do for a while. Anyways, enjoy the show. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story starts around 20 BBY, so less than one year before the fall of the Republic. OC is eighteen.

It all seems so poetic now. Really, it does. An orphan born of a curbside whore and a big city gangster, dumped into one of the many so called “orphanages” of the deepest sublevels of Nar Shaddaa, somehow manages to live to be 18 while still possessing her freedom. Stoic, isn’t it?

Well it didn’t seem that way to me. It was just the way things were on the Smuggler’s Moon. and, yes, while that is my dreadfully lonely life story, it is the same life story that everyone carries here. I was lucky to make it to 18 really. Most get half as many at best. Those who do manage to brave the streets here get picked up by some gang or trafficking ring. Somehow I managed to remain unnoticed, which is how one survives on this lovely little planet that I call home. 

You might wonder how so many died so young. The orphanages were government run. And if that means nothing to you, I’ll translate. Overcrowded, understaffed, and underfunded. Democracy, am I right? Once you’re eight or nine, you get tossed out. As far as the government is concerned, at that age, you are capable of fending for yourself and you no longer have to mooch off the government’s dime.

You really have few options once you’re kicked out. You need to seek refuge. The streets of Nar Shaddaa are no place for children after dark.Well, they’re really not a place for children at all, but there I stood, eight years old, clutching my four year old half brother to my side. He was tossed out with me because the government considered any independent being, regardless of age, capable of looking after a younger sibling. This was one of their “genius” plans to depopulate the orphanages. Worked like a charm, didn’t it? 

Most died within their first three months on the streets. Starvation and murder being the two most common ends that an orphan would meet. Those who didn’t die would turn to the gangs. They were offered food and shelter, and above all, a family. Most boys jumped at the chance, the girls who were smart or brave enough to avoid that confrontation altogether spared themselves a lifetime of suffering and belittlement.

If you make it to eleven on the streets you can enroll yourself in day school. Thank the force or whatever is up there that you didn’t need an official address to enroll. Force knows I didn't have one. You learn to read and write, do basic math, and most important some basic life skills. I can safely say that my fondest childhood memories were from day school. I think that I even had a friend at that point. Her name was Morella. She was an orphan too. We had like five good months together before the gangs got her. I never saw her again. I hope she got out. I hope she got the life that all of us deserved, but never got.

At fourteen, you can enroll in finishing school. It's more like a trade school, but that's besides the point. I chose to do mechanics. Being a mechanic would mean I could work around ships. And if I worked around ships, I could potentially get the hell off of this god forsaken planet.

When I began finishing school, my little half brother, Kolin, was but a blip on my memory. He was taken when I was eight, I never forgave myself for that. But how was I, a half starved and underweight child supposed to protect my brother? I couldn't. And it was hard to live with that at first. But it was just so much easier to sleep at night if I just forgot about it. At least, that's what I told myself back then. Now I tell myself that he saw a chance to get out of here, and he took it. And I moved on.

But, god, his eyes haunted me every time I closed mine. They were my eyes. We may have only been half siblings, but our eyes shared the same deep blue hue with a ring of green around the iris. I will never forget his round, youthful face, and curly deep brown hair. When I am awake I will myself to move on and forget, but in my sleep, I let you fill my dreams, so that your memory never dies.

When I was 15, I was finally able to convince some low level ship mechanic to take me as an apprentice. And surprisingly there were no strings attached if you know what I mean. I would work in his garage with no fiscal pay, but in exchange for my labor, he would let me stay in the closet of his garage. It even had a lock from the inside. It was the safest I had felt in years. Borris, you stingy bastard, I will never in a million years say this to your face, but thank you.

Which brings me to now. I just walked out of my final day of classes at finishing school. I got some certificate that says I know how to do mechanical work. There was no graduation or any kind of celebration for the four long years of learning that were finally over, because, who the hell wants to pay for that. 

I won’t miss it, to be honest. Most teachers didn’t care, they just sat at their desks looking at the holonet. If you wanted to learn, you blew the dust off of one of the data pads and the back of the room and got reading. And most kids got the paper saying they completed finishing school, which means they just showed up, not necessarily doing anything. I left with a certificate though, which means I didn't just go through the motions, I actually achieved something. And yes, I will let my ego swell just a tad about that.

This was my last time walking this way. After spending four years making this trek every day, this part seemed sentimental-- maybe. I don’t know what I'm feeling quite frankly, and I don’t think I possess the vocabulary to name this feeling. After all my certificate says I know how to make a machine work, not how to write books or whatever.

The little garage I called home came into sight. I saw Borris waist deep in the engine of some ship. “Viera, be a doll and grab me that compressor?”, he yelled.

“Sure thing Borris”, I said back. I grabbed the part from the workbench and brought it to the large Trandoshan. “Wouldn’t a wire conduit work better? It could compensate for the amount of feedback coming from the plasma rotors.”

“Don’t get all scholarly on me princess.” Borris laughed. “Let me see that dumb piece of paper anyways.”

I handed it over and he squinted at it. “This certer.... No… certificate ensures that Viera Rokal has compli…. Completed the require….. Requirenems….. Ah yes requirements set forth by the system of Nar Shaddaa to acquee… whatever I get the point. Good job kid. I hate to say it but you beat all the odds.” he sighed. 

Thinking back on my years with Borris, this was the first time I had heard him read, and he was just about as illiterate as I was. And just realizing now, I could barely read the words on my own certificate. All I knew for sure was that it had my name in big fancy letters on it. And that was good enough for me.

“Well… anyways Borris, I had been meaning to bring this up, but I got signed for a contract to work for a corporate freighter as an on board assistant mechanic. The time is still undetermined. Please don’t take this the wrong way but I want to see the galaxy. I’ve never left this rock before and I'm getting a little stir crazy…” I laughed nervously. This was really last minute. Sorry Borris. I internally scolded myself for waiting this long to bring it up. The corporate class freighter was set to leave at first light tomorrow.

He pondered for a minute, then said, “Do what you gotta do kid.” He gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Also please don’t be mad but it leaves first light tomorrow morning.” I gave a nervous smile.

Borris sighed, “This is you asking for a ride isn’t it? Well there go my plans for breakfast with friends.”

“You're the best Borrie” I said cheerfully.

“First of all, I know. And second of all please never call me that again.”

“Will do.” I replied.

“Thank you.”

“Borrie.”


	2. A Different Calling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viera boards the corporate freighter and has a statling discovery, this job won't be as easy as it seemed. - 20 BBY

Borris and I were up and out before the streets of the Smuggler’s Moon had the chance to wake up for the day. Speeder traffic was minimal, visibility was as good as it's going to get, So it was a good morning. Borris drove like an absolute grandpa and it was driving me insane.

“Shouldn’t we be going faster? We’re literally the slowest ones on the road.” I grumbled.

“If you rush to get where you want to go, life will just slip through your fingers.” He said. I knew he was trying to be sentimental, but I saw him starting to crack up about how cheesy what he just said was.

Most of the ride was spent in silence, quietly observing the waking city. The corporate spaceport came into view and Borris slowed down to let me out. I grabbed my small bag which held everything I owned, and jumped onto the dock. 

Borris looked at me one last time and with a solemn smile said, “Good luck, Viera. Until we meet again.”

“Until then.” I said with a bittersweet smile.

With that, he left. And I was on my own.

I walked through the busy port, trying to find dock 17B, where my home for the foreseeable future would be. Then I laid eyes on it. She was bigger than anything I could have imagined. I got in line with what I assumed was the rest of the crew. I saw a small group of women amongst the sea of men. I hurried over to them. 

They were all pretty and rather petite. They mainly consisted of humans and Twi’leks, with the occasional Togruta.

One Twi’lek introduced herself, “My name is Reyni, are you one of the other servants?”, She asked timidly.

“Uh, no. I am one of the mechanics.” I said.

They all laughed nervously and Reyni spoke up again. “Almost all of the women in this crew are servants for the upper levels. Where the corporate guests are. The mechanics always stay below deck, so you need to get into that like there.”

She pointed to a line of less well kept people whose boarding ramp lead straight below deck.  
“Oh, I see. Great meeting you girls though.” I stuttered. They were young, like, really young.

“Same to you… we never caught your name.” Reyni added.

“Viera.” I said calmly.

“Well good luck to you, Viera, and whatever your voyages may bring.” She said with a smile.

I nodded, and headed over to the line that Reyni had pointed out. In the sea of scruffy men, I saw one rather put together Rodian standing with a holopad towards the back of the line. From her build I could tell she was female, so I headed over to her. She saw me coming and enthusiastically said my name.

How did she know who I was? I bit that thought down, and smiled.

“I’m sorry, have we met?” I asked.

“My apologies, Viera, I was looking at the roster and realized you are the only other woman on the mechanical level, which means you are my bunkmate.” She said cheerfully.

“Oh of course, what is your name?” I asked, genuinely glad to see another happy face in the crown of dim and gloomy bodies.

“Serena”, she said with that dazzling smile. 

Serena and I casually chatted away until the line started moving. The impossibly large ship loomed over us, I felt so small in comparison to this behemoth but a reassuring shove from Serena pushed me through the threshold into the ship.

Spice. I would know that smell anywhere. Serena seemed oblivious, or she didn’t care. It was too late to turn back, my pass was already stamped and was strapped into a seat for the initial takeoff. The memo for the job said various hyperdrive and engine components were the cargo, not spice. If anything Borris said was true, this was not going to be an easy trip. Because if they were shipping spice, you could guarantee that high class weapons were somewhere in the cargo bay. And those two shipping items are the exact opposite of low profile.

I nudged Serena.

"You smell that?"

"Smell what?" Serena inquired.

"Spice." I said in the lowest voice I could muster. Who knows, my safety could ride on my blissful ignorance, so this might be something I have to keep on the down low.

"What?" Serena said a little too loud for my taste.

I grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and hissed into her ear, "Spice." 

Serena sighed.

"You knew", I asked accusingly. "you knew this whole time. Does everyone know?"

Serena shrugged, "Look, Viera, I know this is your first contract, and I didn't want to freak you out. No corporation ships miscellaneous hyperdrive and engine parts. In this business that's code word for spice. Only low level traders ship those parts, you really thing a corporation would spend this much money on security and this big ass ship if it was just spare parts?"

"I guess I should have guessed what I was getting into." I said.

"It will be okay, this is my fourth spice run with this corporation, and nothing has happened that the security can't resolve." Serena added reassuring me.

"I hope you are right." I said. But I could not ignore this feeling in my gut that she was wrong. I could sense it or whatever you call it. I was never able to ignore this feeling I got whenever something was about to happen, I just called it instincts. It had never been wrong. The day Kolin went missing, I got this feeling. It screamed at me to stay home. I had a big test that day that I had to be there for. God, I wish I listened. maybe Kolin would still be with me. But its too late, I can't think about that. Kolin is gone. 

So for the second time in my life, I shoved that ominous feeling back down into the pits of my stomach, as I heard the engines roar to life, and felt us ascending into the upper atmosphere of the Smuggler's Moon.

Goodbye, Nar Shaddaa, I can't say that I'll actually miss you all that much.

Through the tiny port window below deck, I saw the space port get smaller, until the unfamiliar lurch of the ship jumping into hyperspace turned the grey city into just another streak of blue.


	3. Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viera summarizes three crucial mistakes that lead to her unfortunate predicament.

Reflecting on the last few days, I can recount to you a series of mistakes that lead to me to my current... predicament. Yeah that's what I'll call it.

I'll start at the beginning.

After our initial jump, we were all sent to our bunks to put our stuff down. Serena and I made the most of the fifteen minutes we were given to settle in. making it as "homey" as possible.

It really was a small room. Just big enough for two beds mounted on opposing walls about six feet off the ground, and a simple desk tucked underneath it with a basic chair tucked in. it was clean, though. probably the cleanest place I've ever slept. No offense to Borris, but it was a closet in a garage, so enough said, and don't get me started on that orphanage again, three kids would have to share a bed, and that's if there were any beds to begin with.

There was a dresser tucked against the wall at the foot of the bed, It had more than enough room for all of my clothes, well actually, I think I could fit all of them in one drawer. But it felt nice to have the luxury of being able to spread out. So I did.

We settled quickly, and before we knew it, we off to the engine room for first shift. Running tests, watching monitors, the usual for on board mechanics. 

Here comes the first of three vital mistakes.

Three men came in from the cargo area. I had recognized them from the line of mechanics. How did they have the clearance to be back there? I didn't and neither did Serena. I nudged her and nodded toward the two Weequay men and the unusually tall Twi'lek man. Our discovery did not go unnoticed. I felt the presence of two people behind us. There was a human- Mandalorian by the looks of it - and a Pyke. The human placed his hand on my shoulder, I shrunk. He smelled of stale booze and spice.

"Darling," He started, "You might just want to mind your business." He trailed off, "If you want to live to see the end of this run."

This whole area was under surveillance, was he dumb? I just stared at him and he sulked away after another minute with the Pyke close in tail.

"What was that about?" I quietly asked Serena.

"In my experience, they don't really background check their laborers, If they can turn a wrench they're good enough." She sighed. "You get some sketchy characters sometimes. But not everyone is like that. You meet a lot of good people on these ships."

And that was that. the rest of our shift crawled by, and we were finally relieved by second shift.

Could a company really be this reckless? How were they so successful when they hired literally anyone for this job?

Little did I know, that was their first mistake. 

That night, Serena and I locked and barricaded our door. I thought i could almost hear the sound of hushed whispers and the sound of someone tampering with the lock in the middle of the night, but nothing more came of it.

The second mistake came two days later, when we made our first stop on Kessel. I mean I should really just put "going to Kessel" as a mistake, But it was what happened as we idled just beyond the planets orbit, making the preparations to jump to hyperspace to head towards Lothal.

While idling, slowly advancing deeper out into space, the orders came down to the first shift laborers to to run a hyperdrive alignment and calibration test. In and of itself its not hard to do, you just push a few buttons on the control panel and the ship does it by itself, its just that it takes almost one hour to complete, all the while you're a sitting duck out in the depths of space. The ship troubleshoots itself and makes those microscopic alignment fixes that will prevent us from running into stars and planets while we kick back and twiddle our thumbs while we wait for it to finish.

The test was about halfway done when an alarm started blaring. We were taking enemy fire. Not good. The test wasn't complete, meaning the ship was still realigning itself. We were incapable of moving. Any attempt to jump to hyperspace would almost assuredly end in us being hurled into a star or asteroid belt. The running of this test was the second deadly mistake.

The doors then sealed themselves. The ship was being infiltrated. But how I didn't hear any airlocks being opened. Just then the five men whom I had the encounter with three days prior revealed blasters and slowly started executing the crew belowdeck. Serena and I were sealed in the mechanical room with these maniacs. the infiltrators had been onboard this ship the whole time.

"Engine Control! Come in!" I heard the captain call over the com, "Come in, damnit!"

I picked up the com and slid under the control panel while Serena sealed the door to our tiny compartment.

"This is engine and hyperdrive control, we have lost control of the engine room, myself and another mech are sealed in the control room, we need immediate backup!" I said as calmly as I could.

"I'm sorry, engine control, I can't do that right now, we are surrounded and boarding parties are coming, we need to get out of here! If we can get away from the boarding parties we can divert our security to taking down the threats inside the ship." the captain said. He sounded exasperated.

"Sir, the hyperdrive is still calibrating itself, any attempt to fire it will almost surely knock us into something!" I said.

"We don't stand a chance if they get on board so I need you to override the fail safes."

"Sir, that is suici-" I was cut off.

"That is a direct order, Engine Control."

I looked at Serena, defeated, she had joined me in hiding under the control panel. Think, damnit, think!

"We could plot a course that steers us one parsec clear of any obstacles, we just need to get far enough away to finish the test." Serena said. She was obviously trying her best to think as well.

"That could work, start the calculations." I said. "Captain, come in."

"Loud and clear , Engine Control."

"We are overriding the fail safe to plot a course out into open space, with one parsec of clearance on every side, we just need to get far enough away to finish the test, and then we can actually get away." I said.

It sounded like the captain was deep in thought, "Do it."

With that Serena finished her calculations.

"Vi, we got a problem, we can't get that much clearance on either side, there is an asteroid belt that prevents us from keeping safe distances." Serena told me, a grave expression on her face.

We relayed this information to the Captain.

"I don't care, get us out of here!" he bellowed.

With that we heard footsteps approaching and banging at the door.

"Here goes nothing." I said as I overrided the fail safe, and with a violent jolt, we flew into hyperspace. It was only set to be a two to three minute jump. And let me tell you, this jump was the third and final mistake.

Serena and I were holding on for dear life, clutching the control panel so if we did his something we wouldn't be thrown about like rag dolls. Violent jump had thrown the would;be attackers off their feet and over the railing. That was one less thing to worry about at least.

All of a sudden, the ship jolted violently. No, no, no, it was too early, we hit something. I held on tight and we rapidly decelerated, hurdling though an asteroid belt. We hit another, much bigger asteroid, and I saw Serena's grip slip away and she was thrown wildly against the walls of the control room. After what seemed like five minutes of uncontrolled deceleration, we finally settled to a brisk drift through space., I got up on my shaky legs, and held my head, I must have hit it on something at some point because I was bleeding and I had a nasty headache. I rushed to Serena's limp form, and I rolled her over. A sickening crunch came from her neck, and I knew she was gone.

I went to the control panel, which was surprisingly still operational. I ran an all points inventory of the formerly massive ship, it was reduced to a third of its original size, missing the front and top portions of it, crumpled and barely recognizable. It was clear that it wouldn't be going anywhere, but life support and the oxygen reserves were miraculously undamaged. One thing though, the coolant system was ruptured in the engine room, which could corrupt the circuitry, and in turn the oxygen reserves and the life support. I knew what I had to do.

Quickly checking the inventory report, I could see the all of the emergency airlocks fired, preventing anybody from getting sucked into space. The hallway and the engine room were still pressurized, I had a chance. But I had to go now, or else the coolant would make the ship too cold for me to survive.


	4. Into the Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viera makes dire repairs to the doomed ship, when she hears her assailants catch up with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yuh short chapter

I could already feel the temperature dropping, this coolant leak is going to be a problem.

I gently removed Serena's jacket, being as careful as possible not to disturb her final resting place. I bundled up in it, her aroma filling my nose, almost bringing me to tears. She was the closest thing I have had to a friend in years, and now her just like the others, she was gone. I had only known her for three days at the time, but it just felt like we clicked, and we were almost inseparable from the start. Before leaving the room, I took one last look at the disfigured corpse of my friend. I wont forget you Serena.

It was cold, like really fucking cold. I quickly made my way down the hall to the engine room, careful not to slip on the ice that was forming on the surfaces of everything. I finally made it to the engine room I pried the door open, as the ice had already started to freeze its inner mechanisms. There were bodies strewn about, bodies that were alive and well less than thirty minutes ago.

It was even colder in here, the leak was in this room, just as I had predicted. I pushed all of my emotions down and let the level headed mechanic take over. My hands were flying to various controls, diverting power here, switching an input port there, all so I could divert any energy and coolant away from the section of engine I needed to fix. By the time everything was diverted the room's temperature had dropped another ten degrees. This was going to get dangerous really quickly. I made my way over to the dislodged tubing and severed circuitry, I reconnected the tubing and by then I was shivering, fingers and toes numb. With a quick rewire technique that Borris had taught me, The circuit was operational once again. My whole body felt cold now, I could feel my body losing touch, it wanted to shut down and conserve heat so bad. I stumbled to the control panel and slammed the button to re-divert the power back down its normal channels. I collapsed to the floor, and sat there as I heard the engine humming to life, and I saw the light of the "coolant leak button" turn off, I sighed. Maybe now I could close my eyes, just for two--

My thoughts were cut off by the sound of a ship docking at the air lock. My breath caught in my throat. That couldn't have been from more than three levels above me. I was too weak to move, so I just sat there. Maybe this was someone sent to rescue me? No, its too soon, nobody knew where Serena and I had plotted the course. Which could only mean one thing, whoever had attacked before had found us, and I had destroyed a freighter's worth of spice and illegal arms. Whoever was coming aboard, was not going to be happy.

Then I heard it. Soft at first, then growing in volume.

Footsteps.

But they were heavy, metallic even. A droid? No, they sounded too natural. A droid's are unwavering in rhythm and precise. These sounded oddly human. Whatever they were they were getting closer. They were outside the door now. With a calm hiss, the door opened. A looming figure stood there. I could sense his presence. Yes- a man, and he felt dark and ominous. Once again that feeling in my gut had piped up, that's how I sensed him. And somehow I knew that he could sense me. He began to move closer. My vision blurred. Was this the end? I closed my eyes. Ready to accept whatever was to come. I felt at eas, at peace. Maybe I would finally get to see my brother again, or maybe Morella or Serena. They were waiting for me weren't they. I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness. 

Then I felt arms around me- warmth. The steady beat of a- no two hearts. How interesting. Then I slipped under, unsure if I would wake again.


	5. Something Else

I woke slowly. I was warm. I was so drowsy, I must have been put under a sedative. 

Which means I didn't die.

How the fuck did I not die?

It would have been the welcomed end to troubled orphan who had lost everything.

A voice woke me up fully.

I felt that same presence from the ship. Dark and looming. But oddly comforting? I don't know. I felt such calmness radiating over me.

"You have cost me a lot of money, little one." The voice said smoothly, no trace of malice or ill-will to be found. Interesting. "My on board spies said that someone fitting your description was suspicious of them from the beginning."He finished, waiting for my reply. I didn't glorify him with one. 

"Very well, but may I have the answer to one question?" He added.

"Ask away." I grumbled, still drowsy.

"Who are you, girl?" He inquired, almost seeming sincere.

I debated on replying with sarcasm or just not replying at all. But what did I have to lose from giving my name.

"Viera" I finally said.

"And your last name?" He inquired again.

"Rokal," I stated flatly, "who are you?", At this I finally opened my eyes and took in the sight of the man before me.

Zabrak, the horns said it all, but he was red with black tattoos covering all the skin he had visible. All the zabraks I had ever met had skin tones similar to mine, tan or olive. Maybe he was Dathomirian. That would fit the bill. But I thought they never left Dathomir?

My thoughts were cut off when he spoke.

"Yes, I am from Dathomir."

"What? How did you-" I was cut off once again.

"You are broadcasting your thoughts very loudly. Its hard not to listen." He said.

"Okay but how the hell did you do that?" I asked.

I had heard about people having powers that allowed them to move things with their minds and and read other people's minds. They are called Jedi? I think. But I didn't know if they actually existed.

"What are you, some Jedi?" I inquired.

This seemed to strike a nerve. "I am no Jedi." He spat, "I am more powerful than any Jedi" He said with more anger and hate that I had ever seen.

He quickly composed himself before he spoke again.

"Please rest, Lady Rokal. You sustained a few injuries during your crash. They aren't serious enough to put you in a bacta tank." He said before he got up from the chair he was sitting in and began to make his way towards the door.

"Wait." I said weakly.

He turned towards me, his yellow irises meeting my blue ones.

"Who are you?"

He hesitated for a second before answering.

"I am Maul. Now, please Lady Rokal, rest." 

With that he left. I had so many questions. He said I had cost him a lot of money. With most crime lords, that meant certain death.And he obviously was a crime lord. If only you could sense the power and respect that his mere presence commanded. And I realized what made those heavy footsteps. His legs were prosthetic. But that only added to his aura. He survived being cut in half and is still sane enough and mobile enough to strike fear into the hearts of his constituents.

I was getting tired again. If he hadn't killed me yet, I figured it was safe to drift off again. So I embraced the warm comfort of sleep.


	6. Second Chances

I woke what I can assume was a few hours later. My injuries felt non-existent at this point. That bacta Maul had was some high quality stuff. It was nothing like the corner store garbage that Borris always bought for cuts and bruises.

Once again, Maul was at my bedside.

"You should feel less drowsy now. I have weened you off the sedatives and your injuries are practically healed." Maul said as he mindlessly scrolled through a data pad. How did he know I had woken up? Oh yeah, Jedi powers but not really. Right.

He sat casually in the chair. One leg crossed over the other, one elbow resting on the armrest with his head leaning on that hand. An expression of pure indifference displayed on his face.

"That bacta you have works wonders, its nothing like what I had back home. How does one come across such high quality medical supplies?" I inquired. I wanted to get him talking, so I could learn a little bit about Maul.

"Money is of no importance to me, Lady Rokal." He said, his tone unwavering.

Well this is getting me nowhere.

"Why didn't you just leave me on that ship? Or kill me? You said when I first woke up that I cost you a lot of money." I got straight to the point, I was tired of wondering.

"I thought you could be useful." He said, still with that damn impassive face.

"Useful?" I inquired.

"Mmm." He hummed in agreement. "My personal crew is in need of an onboard mechanic. And I took a look at what you did on that doomed freighter. A complex coolant leak in the engine block requiring multiple power diversions and input port switches. That would take a three man team about 20 minutes to fix. You did it by yourself in 15. In a subzero environment. With a concussion, three broken ribs and a sprained ankle." He said. Still idly looking at his data pad.

"So you're impressed?" I asked, suppressing a sarcastic grin.

"Don't stroke your ego too much, dear, I still had to pull you out of there." he replied with spite dripping from his words.

"So you want to hire me essentially?" I asked.

"Yes."

"What if I say no." I asked defiantly. I needed to get a feel of my boundaries.

He just looked at me for a second before responding.

"Then I'd have to ensure that you don't become an asset to my enemies." This time his voice was direct. This wasn't a threat, it was a promise. 

"Well then I suppose that my decision is made for me." I said, my words coated withe smallest amount of hate. Here I was, once again. Just another person at someone's disposal.

"Very well." He hissed out before calmly leaving the room.

I can tell he didn't like that I fought back against him, and wasn't prompted to adhere to his every word. I wasn't scared of him. That feeling in my gut was telling me that he wouldn't hurt me. And my gut had never been wrong.


	7. Balance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laptop crapped out while I was halfway through this chapter and I lost the og version. smfh. but I think this is better. enjoy :)

Once my injuries were completely healed, Maul wasted no time in setting me to work on his personal vessel. It was sight to see. Fast as anything with handling that was bestowed by gods. It was highly modded, looked to be done by Maul himself. So he knew mechanics, something to remember.

It had sustained minor damage during an incursion with a rival crime syndicate above Corellia. They were fixes that Maul was capable of doing himself, but he was a busy man. Running a crime organization was no easy business. 

The repairs took less than a day to complete. I even had time to run diagnostics and re-calibrate some systems. And even then I was still twiddling my thumbs for a while. I tried not to think of how I had gotten here. Just about one week ago, I waved Borris goodbye on a crowded port in Nar Shaddaa, boarded a corporate freighter which preceded to be ambushed and then flown into an asteroid belt, and leaving me as the sole survivor. Maul told me this much. He ran a life form scan but it came up with zero contacts. And now, I was a lead mechanic for his successful crime syndicate. Talk about climbing the corporate ladder. I practically flew up it.

No matter how hard I tried, I found myself thinking of Serena. She would have loved to see this ship. She had a fascination with rare and modified ships. I really did miss her. I thought of Reyni and the group of girls who worked as servants on the upper levels, catering to the guests staying in the lounges up top. they were all so young, they were as young as fifteen, and no older than eighteen. and their lives were over, just like that. i also thought of the other mechanics. They probably had families who they were working to support. Their family would never know what happened to them, they'd never have closure.

"Your mind is very troubled today, Lady Rokal" Maul said. I hadn't heard or sense him.

It startled me, "Oh! Jeez Maul don't do that shit with me your gunna give me a heart attack." I said. he walked up behind the pilots seat where I had all of my diagnostic meters set up.

"My apologies, Lady Rokal." He stated in the same nonchalant tone, "You were broadcasting your thoughts very loudly once again. I was just seeing how the repairs are going."

"They're done." I said, annoyed at the fact that he keeps eavesdropping in my own head.

"I'm sorry for seeming intrusive, but its hard to ignore them when you're practically screaming them through the force." he said.

"So its real?"

"What?" he seemed taken aback, just for a moment though.

"The force. Its actually real? Not just some party trick?" I asked.

With that, the wrench on the control panel next to me flew off the panel and straight into his palm. "It's not a party trick, Lady Rokal." he sighed and took a seat in the copilots seat next to me. "It's an incredibly powerful force that binds the galaxy together, and some beings, like myself, are born with the ability to tap into that power."

"So its some entity that holds everything together?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Partially. The force is the balance that exists between opposites, it holds the fabric of our universe together."

"I always thought the force was just some legend, and the Jedi were the almighty heroes that saved us using their mystical powers. Well I have never once seen a Jedi, so I thought it was just a legend. They always said they were supposed to save the world, but where were they on Nar Shaddaa? When children were killed or kidnapped on the streets and ignored by their own government? I lost faith in that a long time ago."

"The Jedi are real, Lady Rokal, but they are just as corrupt as you think they are. Too busy fighting their war to notice that their day of reckoning is approaching." He scoffed.

I sat there in thought about all that Maul had said. He broke the silence

"Well, if you'd like, I can teach you to shield your thoughts, so I would actually have to put in a little effort to read you mind." He offered, actually sounding genuine.

"That would be nice, but perhaps another time. I am quite tired." I said. The work on the ship had honestly tired me out quicker than I thought it would. I was absolutely drained.

"I will show you to your quarters then." He offered.

"That would be much appreciated." I replied.

He lead me out of the hangar and through the halls of offices and workshops and storage rooms to the residential area. I walked beside him, silent. I didn't have much to say. Now I really had a chance to look at him. He was about five inches taller than I, with broad shoulder and toned muscles on his arms. He was lean and looked incredibly fit.He wasn't honestly that hard to look at, and under that perpetual scowl, he was actually quite handsome. Shit, my thoughts.

But that gut feeling almost reassured me that he wasn't paying attention, it seemed like he was in his own little world.

We arrived at a door numbered 4159, with "Rokal" printed across it in galactic basic. Under it said "Mechanics Department". I hope that's what it said., My meager reading skills were certainly failing me.

Maul handed me my key card, which said the same thing as the door on it. I swiped it and the door hissed open.

"I have other things to attend to today. Good day, Lady Rokal." Maul said as he quickly left. The door hissing shut as he walked away.

I don't know what I was expecting my quarters to be, but this is definitely not what I pictured. The door opened to a small hallway. On my right was a small coat closet, and on my right was a sliding door that lead to the washer and dryer unit. The hallway opened up to the main living area. Fully furnished. A set of nice couches were in one corner around a transmitter/HoloNet console. on the other side of the room was a table, and a small doorway led to the kitchen. A really nice kitchen. I then realized that I did not know how to cook. That's what I would try to do in my free time. Learn something new. I made my way through the other door to my bedroom. It was huge, with a huge bed, walk in closet, and a gigantic refresher. This was really nice, the most luxurious place I've ever been. I was expecting a bunk similar to the one I shared with Serena on the freighter, but this shattered all my expectations. 

I began to feel the effects of my exhaustion. I stripped away the outer layers of my tunic and slipped under the covers in just my casuals. It was by far the comfiest thing I've ever touched. I found myself drifting off within minutes. And I welcomed the peaceful sleep.


	8. New Luxuries

When I awoke, I realized just how hungry I was. I hoped there were ration bars somewhere. I practically grew up on those and the occasional stolen fruit from the market.

I lazily walked to the kitchen. I had only popped my head in before I went to sleep, so I didn't see all that it had to offer. 

There was a bowl of fruit on the counter. They all looked ripe and perfect. I picked one up. I knew I had stolen one of these at some point or another. I didn't know what I was called though, I just vaguely remember it tasting good. I moved to the cupboards. There were plates and bowls and cups, some dry food, and some seasonings. The fridge was stocked with frozen goods, including vegetables and meats. I had never had good meat before. When I was on the streets, I'd catch and cook the occasional critter over a small dumpster fire, but that wasn't often. I settled on some dried meat for now, not knowing what the rest of the food that filled my kitchen were. I put the fruit and the dried meat on a plate and walked into the living area. I sat down on the couch that was way too comfortable, and looked for the button to turn on the HoloNet. I eventually hit the right on, and a random channel flicked on. It was some romance movie. Boring. I flipped the channels until it landed on some sports network. I decided to watch that for now. It was some ball game. I had played this with the the orphans when I was young. Kicking around a ball and trying to kick it into the other teams box. But they had actual nets to kick the ball into, and they were much better than all the other kids and I were.

That's where I spent the next hour or two, I didn't know if Maul needed me to work today, so I kept my com on my belt.

I had enough of just being in my basics so I went into the bedroom. My bedroom. God, that felt so weird to say. 

I had really only been in hospital garbs for the two or three days I spent recovering. Upon my recovery, The medical droid had given me a clean set of robes. They consisted of dark brown leggings and a tan tank top. The top robe was a light brown with a dark brown utility belt. I was given standard issue boots along with the ones I had been wearing when Maul found me. I preferred the ones I had from before, and I asked that the new ones be sent to my quarters. I went straight to the hanger the droid had instructing me to go. And I was given a Mechanic's jumpsuit when I got to the locker room. I stripped of my top robe and utility belt, and slipped the dark grey jumpsuit on. I fastened the mechanic's utility belt around my waist, and slipped the provided steel toe boots on. My jumpsuit said "Rokal" on the right breast. It had many pockets on the legs and hips. It really was a nice suit. 

That jumpsuit was now hanging in my closet. I probably needed to wash it. And I probably should was the robes I was wearing as well. I went to my bedroom and opened the closet, there were few robes and tunics of similar design in there. I picked one that had a grey and black theme to it. A light grey tank top and black leggings, with a dark grey top robe. I slipped it on and brought my dirty garments to the laundry room. It was small, with enough room for the washer/dryer unit and a couple of baskets. I had never used these machines before. I had always used a bucket and scrub board. I threw the clothes in and closed it door. There was a little hole that said something beneath it. I assumed it was wear I needed to put the clothes soap or whatever it was called. I found the bottle and poured the liquid in until it was full. I pressed the start button and it hummed to life.

About an hour later, I came back and threw everything into the dryer, and pressed start. Its so easy to do laundry now.

When it finished, I hung the clothes up in my closet. I heard my com beep.

"Lady Rokal, come in." Maul's smooth voice said over the com link.

"Loud and clear" I responded.

"Pack a bag and be down in the hanger in thirty minutes." He said.

"I'll be there." I replied.

Where in the galaxy were we going now? I packed a few robes and my casual boots and slipped on my mechanic's garb and steel toed boots. I slung the bag over my shoulder and left my room, making sure to take my key card with me.

It was a quick walk to the hangar, I wan't necessarily that far away from it. I just had to go down a few lifts to a through some hallways. Maul was waiting by his ship.

"So where are we going?" I got straight to the point.

"Corellia." He responded. 

"Corellia?" I stammered, "Isn't that were you almost got shot out of the sky and I had to spend a day fixing everything?" 

"Precisely."

"Well then why are you going back?" I inquired.

"You ask a lot of questions, Lady Rokal."

"Well that tends to happen when you don't tell someone anything." I shot back.

I could tell he wasn't used to people putting up a fight with him. But I wasn't scared of him. He was just getting annoyed with me.

"The people who tried to shoot me down were a rival crime syndicate. They need to be taught a lesson." He relented.

"Don't you have grunts who can do that?"

"Yes, I do. But I want to deliver this message personally." He said.

"Alone?" I stammered, "They'll kill you."

"Ah, you underestimate me, Lady Rokal."

"Then why am I here?" I was genuinely curious. "I'm not a pilot. Couldn't you just hire one of them to fly you around?"

"I don't need a pilot, I am capable of flying myself. What I do need is someone who can fix the ship is something goes wrong. If you haven't noticed its difficult to fly a ship and make repairs at the same time." 

With that he ascended the ramp and it hissed closed behind us. He pointed to a bunk that I assumed was to be mine and I threw my bag into it. I followed him to the cockpit and assisted him in the initial take off procedures. I may not know how to steer a ship, but I am damn good at running a ship.

Maul flew us out of the hanger as I calculated the jump to Corellia. With the push of a lever, the stars became blue streaks as the ship gently pulled us into hyperspace.


	9. Purpose in a Sea of Uncertainty

We sat in silence for a while. I then excused myself to use the refresher in my bunk. It was small, but clean. Unfortunately I hadn't had the chance to try the one inside of my quarters on Maul's cruiser. I made a mental note to do that when I got back. I turned the water on and stepped in. It was very relaxing and I felt at ease. I got out and redressed. My tight curls were heavy with water, only appearing wavy. My usually dark ginger hair appeared dark brown. I tied it into braids and walked back up to the cockpit. Maul was still in the pilots seat. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even. I walked closer. Was he asleep?

"I'm awake." he said calmly.

It still startled me. "Damnit Maul! You scared the living shit out of me." I gasped. "And can you please stop reading my mind."

"How about I teach you to shield them instead?" He offered.

"Why not." I said.

It really wasn't that hard. I just had to focus and make a conscious effort to block my mind off from others. Before I knew it, I could finally think in peace.

"You have more power than you realize, Lady Rokal."

"I find that hard to believe." I spat.

"The reason I was able to find you on that freighter was because I could sense you."

"Yeah, we've been over this." I said.

"But, you felt my presence too, from the other side of the ship." He said, "To some degree, you have a connection with the force. I don't know to what degree though."

"So you're telling me that all this time, this feeling I've had in my gut, was the force? All along?" I said, genuinely confused.

"Precisely." 

"Then how come the Jedi didn't come and scoop me up?" I inquired.

"You are from Nar Shaddaa, correct?"

"Yes." I replied.

"Do you know if you were born in a hospital?" He asked.

"No, I wasn't. I was born in a crack house, then dropped off at the orphanage down the street without as much as a birth certificate." I said.

"Then that is why. In the galactic Republic, every baby born in a hospital had a blood sample taken soon after birth. They test the sample's midichlorian count. If it is above average, its sent to the Jedi Council. And, well you were also born on a moon controlled by the Hutts. They don't usually prioritize sending information to the Republic." He said.

"Would I have been better off with the Jedi?" I asked.

He contemplated his answer.

"In the long run, no. You would have had a more privileged upbringing, but you have been spared the fate that the Jedi will soon meet."

"What do you mean?"

"I was once apprentice to the most powerful being in the galaxy. But I was tossed aside, like I was nothing, I had served my purpose." He trailed off. His words emanated so much hate and anger. "My master's plans have been set in motion. The Clone Wars, all a part of his plan to assume absolute power."

"But how does that relate to the Jedi?" I inquired.

"He was wise enough to keep that part of his plan all to himself. I knew the war was his plan being set in motion, and I knew that ridding the galaxy of the Jedi and gaining complete control of the galaxy was his endgame. How he will achieve it? I do not have that answer."

I thought for a moment before speaking again, "Were you supposed to at his side when all of this is going to go down?"

"I don't know. But the force put me on a different path the day I was cut in two. It was a chance to start over. My hate and anger for the man that maimed me and for my former master kept me alive for almost fifteen years before my brother found me. I was broken, a shadow of who I was. But I am not that man anymore. I have a different purpose. The force has made that clear to me."

I remained silent, trying to find out as much as I could, and also because I didn't know what to say. 

"But, when I found you, I was going to leave you, but the force told me to take you with me, it told me that my destiny is intertwined with yours." He continued.

"What are you trying to say?" 

"The force brought us together for a reason, Lady Rokal. It is clear to me that your connection to the force is great, but unexplored. I was meant to teach you ways of the Sith, to make you one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy." The passion in his voice was immeasurable,"Together we can fret my master's plan, we can bring peace and order to the galaxy. Take my hand, and I will make you more powerful than your wildest dreams and desires. Viera, it is our destiny." He finished. He was now facing me. His golden eyes staring deep into my soul.

I stared at him for a moment.

"No."

His eyes narrowed in frustration, no. Anger.

He said nothing, and left the cockpit. 

This wasn't what I signed up for. I agreed to be a mechanic, not an apprentice to some power-hungry lunatic. No thank you. I could feel the anger rolling off of his presence in the force. Am I in danger? Was this the last straw? Is this the end for me?

He returned two hours later. I was in the sme position I had been in when he had left. Staring out into hyperspace, contemplating what was to come.

Once again his words shook me out of my thoughts. 

"We land in twenty minutes. Stay in the ship while I deal with those Corellian bastards."

"You're still going to do it alone, even though its going to be risky?"

"Stay in the ship. That is final." He said before exiting the cockpit once again.

We dropped out of hyperspace soon after. He reemerged to the cockpit and assumed control of the ship. He docked us at an uncrowded port. He tossed on his robe and opened a compartment and removed a long hilt from it.

"Whats that?" I asked.

"A lightsaber." He said, he sounded annoyed. Or angry. Who knows.

I said nothing for moment, then I piped up.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked just as he was about to leave.

He sighed and turned around towards me.

"No, Lady Rokal."

"I don't believe you." I said.

He sighed again, this time pinching his brow ridge in frustration. But not frustration with me, it seemed like frustration with himself for not being able to put his thoughts together.

"I am angry about not knowing what the force is willing me to do. It brought me to you, but now what?" He paused. "If this isn't what we were brought together to do, then I don't know why."

"I feel it too. The way the force hums in contentment when we are together. I just don't know why. We're just going to have to figure it out on our own." I said. "But I will not be just another person's subordinate, and that is final."

I could sense him getting angry at my outright dismissal to his plan.

"If you would just give it a chance, you could see what could be in store for us!" He was practically yelling now. "If you just trusted me for once, if you just took my hand and let me help you-"

"I don't fucking need your help." I spat. "And I have no reason to trust you. You threatened me into this current agreement. You want to paint yourself as the kind and selfless person who took in an unwanted stray. Well I was doing fine before you found me."

"Need I remind you what I pulled you out of?"

"I would have lived. I always do." I was glaring at him now. "The engines were online, I would have been able to call for help."

He scoffed.

"You are controlling, and you only care about what is in your own personal interests. Maybe I could get you where you want to. But you would take me out the second that I became your competition. Don't treat me like I'm oblivious. We all know what Sith are like."

"I'm already late. If I am not back within the rotation, signal the cruiser for help."

"This isn't over." I said.

"I know." He spat back at me.

He opened the ramp and disappeared into the night. I closed it and sulked for a while. But then another feeling washed over me. Worry. How could I be worried for this man's safety? Whatever, I'll pick this fight up right where we left off when he gets back.


	10. Dreams of the Dead

My worry only grew when the hours crept by one by one. I tried doing that meditation thing that I saw Maul doing, but I don't think I was doing it right. I just found myself dwelling on all of my negative thoughts. Wasn't meditation supposed to rid my head of those? Whatever.

It was morning now. I didn't sleep at all. I just remained in the copilot's seat staring up at the stars. I was trying to listen for the calling of the force that Maul tasked about,but I didn't hear anything. Eventually I realized how hungry I was, and I slipped out of the cockpit. In the hallway there was a small compartment. I opened it and found ration bars, dried fruit, and water canteens. I didn't know if these were personally Maul's. If they were, he can cry about it. 

After eating I found myself to be very drowsy. I reclined a little bit in my chair, and let myself doze off. The ship was locked and the alarms were set, I was safe.

"Viera." A voice called out.

Was I dreaming?

"Vi? Can you here me?" The voice called again, it sounded familiar. No. It can't be.

"Serena?" I called out.

I opened my eyes. I was still in the cockpit of Maul's ship, but I could tell that I wasn't awake. Everything had that dreamy haze around it.

"Took you long enough." she replied, I couldn't see her, but I could sense that she was smirking.

"Death hasn't changed you one bit, has it, Serena?" I called out.

She laughed, I missed hearing that laugh.

"Not at all." She replied, "But I need to tell you something."

"Well what are you waiting for?" I asked.

She hesitated.

"You are destined to be more than a mechanic. The force has made that clear." she said.

"But how are you here?" I asked.

"When I met you, I could tell that this life wasn't the one you were destined to have. I just knew it." She trailed off, "When one die, they can't become one with the force until they are at peace, and have discovered balance. Well I couldn't rest easy without telling you that, Viera. I wanted to, but I never got the chance."

"Thank you, Serena."

"The will of the force is your guide, Vi. You just gotta listen for it."

"I've tried, I really have, Serena. Can't you tell me anything?"

"No, I cannot. It is not the will of the force." She paused, "It has been inside you all along, Viera, and I know that you can find it."

"Thanks, Serena." I said, "I'll never forget you."

"I know you won't. I'd come back and haunt your ass if you did." She said jokingly. "I'll always be with you, Viera."

With that, I woke with a start. There were tears streaming from my eyes. But I felt at peace, I felt her calming presence around me before it slowly faded away. For the first time, I let myself cry over all that I have lost. Vowing to never forget the people who have changed my life for the better.

I suddenly felt something else- distress.

It was Maul, I fired the engines of the ship and lowered the ramp as his presence got closer.

Something was wrong, very wrong.


	11. Piece of Me

The space port had gotten significantly more crowded, I was sitting at the controls, ready to take off. I had never done it before, but I had seen Maul do it and I was confident that I could too. I heard panicked shouts and blaster fire from outside.

Yup, Maul was definitely close.

I heard his metal legs stomp up the ramp in a hurry, I wasted no time closing the ramp and taking off. I heard heavy breathing and something, or rather someone, fall too the floor. We were now in the upper atmosphere, and I was plotting the course back to coordinates of Maul's cruiser. It had been a rough ascent, like I said, I had only watched Maul do it, not actually done it myself. But I calmed myself, and for the first time, I heard that whisper of the force, and I let it guide me. Before I knew it, I was pushing the lever and the ship lurched into hyperspace.

I rushed to the hull to find Maul haphazardly slouched against the hull. He was clutching his side, and was breathing heavily. 

"Maul! What happened? Are you okay?" I asked, exasperated.

"I'm fine." He grunted. He winced as he spoke, he was in a lot of pain.

"No you're not, you're bleeding." I said as he turned away from me. "Let me help you."

I Placed my had on his shoulder, and listened to the force as it told me to send him calm energy, which I did. I could visibly see him relax into my touch.

Even though he was only about five inches taller that me, his body was so much larger and heavier than mine, especially because of the metal legs. What wasn't metal was pure muscle.

I dragged him to his feet so I could get him to the cot that was in the hull of the ship, all his body weight was leaning on me. I got him to the cot and he flopped onto, it. Wincing in pain at every movement.

Now that he was laid out in front of me I could better see his injuries. He had caught three blaster bolts, one in his abdomen, one in his right shoulder, and one in his left upper arm. I stated with the abdomenal wound, as that was most life-threatening. I couldn't see much through his thick robes so I began removing them. His hand shot up and grabbed my wrist, he made dead eye contact with me. I sent more calm energy his way but it didn't do much.

Underneath his war-hardened face I could see the fear in his eyes. He didn't have a good record with people undressing him. I could tell that he would much rather isolate himself and lick his fatal wounds than let another person see him so vulnerable.

I placed my other hand over one one that was tightly grasping my wrist. 

"Maul, I will not hurt you. I want to help."

I could feel him prying at my mind to find a lie, and I let him comb through it, when I could tell that he found no such thing, his grip in my wrist relaxed and he slowly pulled his hand away. I began again, more slowly this time. His body felt tense and I tried to send more calmness his way, but it did not work, this was as good as it going to get. I removed his outer tunic, and then his under robes. all he bore were a pair of boxers.

I always thought that he had been cut at the waist, but I could see the outline of where metal met skin just an inch below the hip socket. His chest and abdomen were now exposed to me. The wound was worse than I thought. All of the pressure I could muster up wasn't slowing the bleeding. I was getting worried, and was head was going a million miles a minute. 

There. I could here it again. The Force. I could feel it guiding me. I looked up at Maul's face and he was staring straight up at the ceiling. I placed my hand on his forehead, just below his frontal horns.

Sleep.

His eyes fluttered, and then closed. I didn't know how I did that, but with the force at my side, I knew it was right. I moved back to his nasty abdominal wound. I placed my hand over it and closed my eyes. I could see the wound, and every tissue it tore through. I focused, and I began to feel myself pulling his flesh back together, having the cells regenerate at an alarming pace to replace the ones that have been destroyed. With the force guiding me, I healed his would until it was no more than a tender, raw, section of skin. I opened my eyes and I stumbled backwards. I felt absolutely drained. But I had to keep going. For him. He saved me and now it was time for me to return the favor. I grabbed the high end bacta patches and applied one over the wound I had just healed.

How the hell did I do that?

I moved to his shoulder, it was a clean, through and through wound, this one took significantly less time to heal, but I still felt even more tired. I could feel my every muscle aching as I repaired the damaged muscle tissue. Like the abdominal wound, it was left tender and raw, I applied a bacta patch to it and moved to his arm. My head was pounding, but I had to treat it.

It took every ounce of energy I had to heal that one. I quickly applied the patch and stepped back, on the verge of collapsing. I reached for his neck and pressed two fingers to the side of what I think was his jugular. Two distinct heartbeats, they sounded strong and steady.

I stumbled back and slid down the wall, letting sleep embrace me once more.


	12. To Create and Destroy

When I awoke, I was till on the ship, but i was in my bed inside of my bunk. How did I get here?

My question was answered when I saw Maul sat across from me, arms folded, and seemingly asleep. I felt much better after gaining some much needed rest, and I was reeling to know what had happened.

"Maul" I said quietly being careful not to speak too loud and startle him. 

His eyes opened and he grunted as he sat up. He had put clean under robes on. It was black, like most of his clothing. The trousers fit loosely around his legs, and the top was a wrap around tunic that tied in the front, which he hadn't bothered to tie.

So his tattoos were everywhere. I saw them dip down from his neck and onto his broad chest. I could see that he still had the bacta patch on his abdomen, but I couldn't tell if the one on his shoulder and arm were still on.

He stood up and walked over to my bedside. He peered down at me. There was an emotion in his eyes that I hadn't seen in him before, and I couldn't name it for the life of me.

"Are you feeling alright, Lady Rokal?" He said in his usual calm and smooth voice. But through his presence in the force, I could tell that he was a bit worried.

"I'm alright, just tired as all." I said, groggily.

"Hmm." He hummed.

"What happened?" I asked.

I woke up and you were passed out." He responded.

"That's not what I meant."

He was silent for a moment before he answered.

"I left for the crime syndicate's base after our little dispute. It was rather easy to take them all out. What I hadn't accounted for was the local authorities. They were on me within minutes. I admit, I was caught off guard, and they got three lucky shots on me." He paused, "There were a lot of them."

"Well, how are your wounds feeling?" I inquired.

"Sore, but healing. My shoulder is a little stiff, but that is to be expected with how much muscle damage it sustained." He said, "Which brings me to my next question. What did you do? I may have high grade bacta, but nothing short of two weeks in a bacta tank could have fixed this. But you did it in an hour."

"I... I really don't know." I stammered.

He sat down once again in the chair across from my bed.

"I awoke to find myself practically healed and you passed out on the floor. I was able to move you to your bed, which was possible even in my weakened state. You really don't weigh that much." He said

"I really don't know what happened, Maul. My mind was running at a million miles a minute but then I heard it, the force. It told me what I had to do and it guided my hands to heal you, first to put you to sleep, and then to heal your wounds." I said. "At least that's what I think happened."

"So that is the nature of your connection to the force. You are a healer." He trailed off, deep in thought. "One who destroys and one who creates, two polar opposites brought together."

"Balance." I said.

"Yes. Exactly." He said, "But what it means? I have no idea". 

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving." I said as i got out of bed.

My legs were weaker than I thought and as soon as I put my weight on them, I fell forwards, but two strong arms caught me as I fell.

I looked up and Maul had caught me, his arms holding me so close to him. Jeez he was so warm.

We stayed there for a moment, staring into each others souls. He walked me back to my bunk, with most of my body weight being carried by him. He sat me down at the edge of my bed.

"I'll go get you some food." With that he left, and reemerged a minute later with a ration bar, some dried fruit, and a full canteen of water.

"I see you helped yourself to some while I was gone."

"What? I was hungry." I shot back sarcastically.

He chuckled. It wasn't maniacal or anything, but genuine.

"Humans... they're just naturally so weak, so fragile. If it weren't for their brain they'd surely be extinct. They need a reliable source of food to stay healthy, if they go without water for more than two days, they're done for. Other species can survive off of much less and still thrive."

'You do realize who you're talking to, right? A human?" I said.

He chuckled again, hearty and genuine.

"I meant no offense, Lady Rokal." He said.

"Sure you did."

We laughed. Was I becoming friends with this man? I most certainly could not. I couldn't forget the circumstances around which I had gotten here. Maul was crazy with mood swings worse than my bipolar orphanage director. And if we were becoming friends? I wouldn't be surprised if he was dead within the week with my luck.

"I'm still tired, Maul. I would like to rest." I said, trying to distance myself from this situation.

He seemed a little sad to have to leave me, but respected my request.

"Of course, Lady Rokal. As you wish. We arrive at the cruiser in about one hour."

With that e left, and I was alone with my thoughts. I was so drained from healing him, that I had literally collapsed in his arms. I made such a fool out of myself! I decided it was more worth-while to rest, so I closed my eyes and let unconsciousness envelope me.


	13. Hope to Understand

The lurch of Maul's ship exiting hyperspace woke me from my dreamless sleep. I slipped out of bed, my legs were a bit more sturdy now, and I packed up all of my things back into my bag, taking my key card out and putting in in my belt pouch. Maul knocked a moment later.

"Lady Rokal, we will be landing shortly." He said through the door.

"Thank you, Maul." I responded.

"One more think, my Lady, please refer to me as 'My Lord' in the company of my officers. I don't need them getting the wrong impression."

"Of course," I said, "My Lord."

I heard him walk away and I finished packing my bag up. I joined Maul in the cockpit for the landing.

"In private," I began, "may I still call you by your name?"

"I don't see why not, Lady Rokal." He said, as he began the landing procedures.

He was more dressed now, actually sporting his top robe now and gloves. I hadn't noticed before, but he had not been wearing gloves earlier. I had never seen him without them.

"Maul, by the way,"

"Hmm?" He acknowledged me.

"You can call me by my name in private." I said, "Only if you wanted to, of course."

"As you wish, Viera." He never took his eyes off of the control panel.

When the ship was docked, we left the cockpit. I went to my bunk and grabbed my bag. Maul met me in the hallway.

"We will be here for a week or two, as I have a lot of work to make up." Maul said.

"Yes, My Lord." I said as the ramp lowered and a tall, human with blonde hair waited for us. Well, almost human, I guess. Had markings on his face that at a glance looked like scars, but if you looked more, you would find them to be symmetrical. They were markings, but I didn't know what species.

"Vos." Maul said in a flat, emotionless tone.

"My Lord," He addressed Maul, "How was your journey?"

"Splendid." Maul spat back.

I could tell that Maul was very annoyed and more or less didn't like the man whom he called Vos. 

"Vos, draw up the paperwork necessary for Lady Rokal's salary."

I stood there, shocked. First of all, I thought that I was paying for my room here through my labor, and second of all, you only get a salary if its like a lot of money. Wage workers get a check cut every week for meager amounts of money, but a salary insinuates that you are getting paid a decent amount. Holy shit.

"What position am I-" He cut himself off, "we paying her for?" 

"She is to be my copilot. Wherever I go, she goes." He said, "You are dismissed."

"Very well, My Lord." With that, the man called Vos left just Maul and I alone. There was the occasional maintenance worker throughout the hanger, but besides that we were pretty alone.

"May I be dismissed, Maul?" I asked.

"Viera, you don't have to ask. I know you're tired. Go, rest." He said. 

We walked to the elevator and it stopped at my floor, I got out and walked to my room. I heard the elevator doors close, and only then did I feel Maul's gaze leave me.

I swiped my key card and entered my room. I stripped of my clothing and hopped in the refresher. this was my first time using it, and it was nice. I took a very long shower and slipped into a nightgown that was in my closet. I felt well rested from the flight. So I sat down on my couch and turned the HoloNet on. I settled for some cheesy romantic comedy. I laughed. I never had much of a love life. Maybe the occasional one night stand with some other teen from school, but never more. I had never experienced or given love like that shown in the movies. But all the movies are just fake right? I had never seen love like that in the world before. What a load of crap.

I heard my com beep.

I picked it up.

"Lady Rokal, is it?" 

The voice was familiar. Vos.

"Yes, what do you need?" I asked.

"I am sending a droid up to you with some forms that needs to be filled out to get you on the payroll. When it is finished, send the droid back with the forms."

"Yes, I will do it when I get the chance." I replied.

Fuck, had I so easily forgotten that I can barely read? the only forms I had ever signed were read aloud to me. And I just hoped that they were telling me the truth.

The droid arrived about ten minutes later. It had some data pads in its arms and it set them down on the table. I dismissed it and just stared at the first data pad. 

Name. Easy, Viera Rokal. Date of Birth. Not so easy, they never kept track. I'll skip that for now.

The rest were questions I didn't know the answer to. Like my Galactic Citizen ID number, what the hell is that? I was getting frustrated and I decided to call Maul.

"Yes, Lady Rokal?' He said through the com.

"Um, weird question, but you can read right?" I asked, kinda embarrassed. 

There was a pause, "Yes, I can." he said, "Is there an issue with your forms?"

"No there's no issue with my forms, just me." I paused before continuing. "I can't understand much of anything on these forms. If you have a moment, could you help me fill them out?" 

"Yes, come to my office. Top floor. The guards will escort you from there." He said.

He almost seemed relieved that I was coming to see him. Was he happy to know that I was coming?

"Thank you, I will be up in a few minutes." I responded and ended the call.

I threw on some basic robes and threw my curly hair into a bun. I grabbed the data pads and my key card, and I exited my quarters towards Maul's office.


	14. To Trust

I took the elevator to the top floor, just as Maul instructed. The further I went up, the more sideways glances I'd get. As I rode towards the top floor, the glances turned from sideways to sympathetic. If I had to make a guess, a lot of people who made this trip up never came back down. Alive, at least.

The last people got off the elevator at the floor right below Maul's. It was just me. They gave me one last sorry look as they hurried out. They thought they were looking at a dead woman. Did everyone really fear Maul? I mean he was the highly influential leader of a successful crime syndicate. I'm guessing that he may have a soft spot for me for some reason. I think I'm right on this because I get the vibe that many that came before me have had to pay the ultimate price for much less than what I've done. Hell, I've flat out refused him twice and lived to tell the tale. I feel like he's killed over much less.

The doors opened to the top floor, they looked confused to see anyone there, but nonetheless lead me to Maul's office.

You would think a man like Maul would have an ornate office filled with treasures and artifacts, but he didn't. He was truly a simple man. It was a generously sized office, and that was about as ornate as it got. There was a standard built in desk and office chair, the desk had a transmitter and data screen built into it, which Maul had several graphs and data tables pulled up on. There were two comfortable chairs on the side of the desk opposite to him. I took a seat in one. He looked exhausted. His head was in his hand, absentmindedly looking at the array of data in front of him.

"How do your wounds feel, Maul?" I broke the tired silence.

"As well as can be expected for twenty-four hours after the fact." He responded.

"But they're healed, aren't they?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, they are, but that doesn't take away the pain." 

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"Skin, muscle, bone... that all can be healed through the force. But nerves? Nerves are nasty little fellows. They will only regenerate on their own time. No force healing can speed them up." He said.

"So, your wounds have healed, but it still feels like you got shot yesterday?"

"Precisely."

"Then you shouldn't be up, Maul. You should be resting." My voice sounded a little too worried for my liking.

"Viera, men like me do not sleep that well anymore."

"Well now you have me. These stupid forms can wait. You're in pain and you need to heal." I started, "I was only focused on stopping you from dying before, now I can focus on your nerves and the pain."

"It won't make a difference." He spat. "Like I said before, no amount of force healing can regenerate nerves at an accelerated pace."

"You said before that you didn't know the degree of my connection to the force. I see this as a way to find out. Maul, let me help."

"I don't need your help." He said very aggressively as he stood up, in fact he stood a little too fast. He winced and grabbed his abdomen and leaned on the desk for support."

"I have to give it to you Maul, you are very convincing."

He gave me a not-so-death-glare and sat back down.

"Maul, it's worth a shot." I said. "It makes me hurt seeing you like this."

Did I really just say that? Ugh. But I really wanted to help him.

"Please."

"Fine, give it a shot. The only thing I lose is time." He said enthusiastically.

"That's the spirit." I said

He looked up at me, annoyed, of course. He moved slowly out of his chair, as to not aggravate his already raw and aching nerves. He opened a door that lead to yet another hallway. I followed him down it, and he opened an unmarked door that lead to his own personal quarters. It was just about as lavish as his office. In fact, it looked just like mine except it was quite bigger. It looked like he never spent any time here. 

His bedroom consisted of the same bed and wardrobe that mine had. He eased himself onto the bed and laid down.

"You're gunna have to lose the tunic, bud." I said.

I mentally scolded myself. Really? Bud?

He looked just as amused at that comment as I did. He said nothing as he tenderly shed his outer robe and eventually his under shirt. He laid down on the bed and knelt beside him. I placed my hands on his abdomen and he flinched, just a little bit.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly, wondering if I had hurt him.

"Viera, your hands are so cold." He said

"They've always been."

I noticed that once again he had no gloves on. I only noticed because one of his large, ungloved, hands came up and wrapped itself around both of mine. His hands were impossibly warm.

"Better?" He asked.

"Much." I smiled.

I stayed there for a moment, my hands in his, before I moved them away and gingerly placed them over his abdominal wound. It had healed well, it still felt raw and sensitive, but I could feel the replenished muscle mass beneath it.

I breathed deeply, centering myself. I could sense the pain his damaged nerves were sending. I listened for the force to whisper in my ear what I needed to do. I listened for a while, and then I heard it. I made myself a channel that the force could flow through. I called on it and sent it into Maul's wound. I could feel it relieving the raw nerves and slowly and gently reestablishing the nerves, regenerating them and bringing them the long deserved relief they craved.

When the wound was healed I backed out of my trance and fell backwards. Maul awoke a few moments later and was at my side.

"Oh fuck, I thought I was tired after my last healing session, this is exhaustion unlike anything I've ever felt." I mumbled, that all to familiar splitting headache returning.

"That's enough of that for today." Maul said.

He lifted me up onto the bed where he had just been laying. Damn, it was so fucking warm.

"How does it feel, Maul?" I asked groggily.

"Much better, Viera. thank you. Now rest." He said, and he went to grab his tunic off the end of the bed.

Just now, laying in the warm spot Maul had left on the bed, I realized ow cold I had always been in space. In the past I had been too tired to car, and I just dealt with it, but now that I knew what I was missing, I could never go back.

His warmth was fading from the bed, I was starting to shiver now. Maul sensed this and turned back around, his robe still remaining untied, leaving his broad, tattooed chest exposed.

"You're cold."

"Like I said, I'm always cold."

"Humans.." He mumbled, smirking to himself.

"You talking shit?" I said jokingly through my shivers, "I'll go over there and personally whoop your ass."

"I'm sure you will." He said chuckling. "How about I come to you instead?"

Before I could process what he said, he had walked to the other side of the bed and got in. He pulled me close to his now fully exposed chest. When did he take that off?

I was about to protest his latest actions when the warmth hit me. Never mind. This was good. I'll tolerate it just this once, and ONLY because I'm cold. And just like that I drifted asleep, in the arms of a man I had barely known two weeks.

What the hell was I doing?


	15. To Mandalore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shifts from 20BBY to 19BBY, right before the fall of the Republic.

I woke up warmer than usual. Like really warm. Then I remembered. My eyes shot open and my head was lying on his chest, my arm splayed across him. He was still sleeping, his chest rose and fell steadily.

Why did I do that?

I wanted to leave, but then I looked up at his face. He was so... at peace. I had never seen him this relaxed. 

I shifted my body and that must have woke him, he glanced down, seeming confused, and then seeming to remember.

"I'd best be getting back to my quarters, Maul." I said as I slipped out of his bed.

"You know you don't have to leave." He stated.

"You want me to stay?" I inquired.

"I never said that. Is it too much to say that I simply enjoy your company?"

"No, not at all, I just don't want people getting the wrong impression." I said, hiding my embarrassment.

"You forget who I am, Viera." He calmly said. "I am the sole person in charge of this whole operation. No one questions my actions. If someone spreads ill words about you and I, tell me, and I will deal with it."

"Of course, Maul."

And that was the nature of our relationship for the next six months. We were mostly ship bound, and there wasn't much for me to do. Three days out of the week I'd go to the hangar and do maintenance, just to keep myself busy and prevent death by boredom. I would make the ride up to his quarters multiple times a week, sometimes to just chat and other times to further heal his wounds. After a month, the three blaster bolts he caught were nothing more than small blemishes on his smooth skin. After that, I went up mostly to talk, but sometimes to heal the occasional sore or stiff muscle. Even though it was close to fifteen years after the fact, he was still reeling from losing his legs. There were many complications that came with it. even though none of his organs were directly exposed, they were severely damaged due to infection and malnutrition. That wound didn't see any semblance of treatment for almost fifteen years. And the seams where flesh met metal were often riddled with sores and blisters. I spent a lot of time healing those. Over that time we became close, I'd like to call it friends, but we found so much comfort in each other, we had both lost so much, and on multiple occasions, I would fall asleep in his bed, by his side. So I think that makes us more that friends? Hell, who knows. We all know I'm terrible with feelings.

Over those months I learned he had a brother, and had lost him to his former master. His name was Savage, and he only talked about him after I had brought up Kolin. We felt the same pain in losing a brother, and somehow, sharing that pain seemed to help us heal from it. My pain was close to ten, maybe even eleven years old, while his was less than a year. It still hurt him deeply. And he sought to get revenge against his master, but I pleaded for him not to. 

But then the dreams started. Or visions or whatever. He would wake up in a sweat, dread smothering him. I would ask him what is wrong, and at first he would say nothing. Then as the visions continued, he opened up about it. He could foresee the fall of the republic. His master's plan was imminent. So he started planning. A name had come to him in a vision: Skywalker. 

The name meant nothing to me, but it meant something to him. The man who had taken his legs, Kenobi, some Jedi, had an apprentice, this apprentice was Skywalker.

His visions became clearer as the weeks dragged on, and he eventually saw the connection. His former master was grooming Skywalker to be his Sith apprentice. 

Maul started planning. The two usually came as a package deal, where you found Kenobi, Skywalker wouldn't be far behind. Maul saw this as an opportunity to take revenge on two of the people he hated most in one move. By killing Skywalker, he would rid his old master of his protege, and make Kenobi feel the pain of losing something. He never planned on killing Kenobi, but if he did he wouldn't complain. But he wanted to make him suffer. He had already killed his lover, the late Dutchess of Mandalore Satine Kryze, while Kenobi stood helpless and watched. 

He was trying to figure out how to ensure that Kenobi would show up, then he had it. He would return to Mandalore, and he knew that the Dutchess' sister, a former member of Death Watch would report this to Kenobi. Kenobi would surely come with Skywalker to Mandalore. With that, his plan was ready. All that was left was to set it in motion. 

I begged him not to, but he said besides his own personal interests, foiling his master's plan would do the galaxy a favor. His master want to rule the galaxy with an oppressive, iron, fist. which would benefit nobody.

I did't want to sound greedy or selfish, but I didn't think I could withstand losing one more person that I held dear in my heart. I could tell this was tearing him apart too, but he knew that he had to at least try.

We came to a head two days prior to his departure to Mandalore.

"Maul, please, I can't lose you too." I was begging him to stay.

"Viera, I have to. We will all suffer if no one attempts to do anything." He said back, trying to calm me.

"What if you can't beat them? They'll kill you! Or worse, send you straight to the Republic, right to your old master! You know what he'll do to you is worse than death!"

"You don't think I know this, Viera? I survived it before. I went through hell and back to survive. This man made me hate my very existence." I said back. 

There was fear in his voice. It shook ever so slightly, it would go unnoticed to the average listener, but not to me.

"Viera, he is the only being in the galaxy that I truly fear."

"I know. I hear the way your voice shakes when you speak of him. What he did to you was vile, and he deserves to die by your hand." I trailed off. "I can't lose you too. I can't."

"I have to go, the galaxy will be plunged into darkness if I stand by and do nothing. I will never be able to live with myself if I sit here and just watch it happen." He said.

"Maul please."

"Viera, this is hurting me too. I can't stand to be without you, and why? Because I love you. I always have. And now that you are finally here, right here within my arms, I have to leave to try and save the galaxy from my old master." he stammered, unsure of what to say next. "I love you, but this must be done."

He pulled me into his chest. He held me there for a long time. I lightened my hold on him and looked up into his golden eyes.He leaned in and kissed, light and genuinely. I kissed back. I truly loved this man, and now that I had my feeling for him out in the open, and the knowledge that they were mutual, he was being pulled back into a fight that he didn't chose to be in.

I didn't leave his quarters after that. When we went to bed, he held me tighter than ever before, never wanting to let go. We spent the next day together. And the night before he left, we made love late into the night. And I lay there, naked in this bed, next to the man I love, knowing that this may be the last time I touch him.

He had to wake early the next morning to leave. I stood there, in just my nightgown as he put the last things in his bag.

"I'll be back, I promise you." 

"You better be." I smiled, trying to hide my sadness and worry.

He kissed me one last time before, walking out of the room. I cried, I hate to say it, but I did. And I know he was feeling the same sadness and fear I was. i could sense it a parsec away. I looked out the window of Maul's bedroom as his ship exited the hangar and jumped to hyperspace. With one hand placed on the glass, I whispered through the force.

'I love you.'

'I know.'


	16. Save Yourself

I call him each night, longing to hear his voice and feel his presence. He has been on Mandalore for two days. He knows the Death Watch loyalists have sent word of his arrival to the Republic. They are coming.

"There's still time to turn back, Maul."

"I know, but this must be done." He said.

"Sir, Republic cruisers have exited hyperspace in the upper atmosphere!" I heard a voice call out. Maul seemed anxious if not for just a moment, then his calm demeanor swept over him. 

"My love, I must go." He said. "Mobilize the troops, I want to draw them into the city." He called out to his men.

"Yes, My Lord!" I heard them call back in response.

"I will be back, I swear on my life. I love you Viera."

"I love you too." I said, and then the call ended.

I sat in silent worry for a long time. I was in his room, wearing one of his robes, letting his aroma fill my nose, setting me at ease. Almost.

A beep came from my com link. 

"Maul!" I said out loud.

I picked it up, Vos' voice greeted me. 

"My Lady, Lord Maul has instructed all members of the collective to go into hiding. We are jumping to hyperspace within the next ten minutes, course set for Dathomir." He said calmly.

"What? No! What if he needs us." I pleaded.

"My Lady, please. These are orders directly from Maul."

"Prepare a ship for me." I demanded.

"What? You can't possibly-" He began.

"Now." I said, with the most threatening voice I could muster, "Or you will be answering to Maul upon his return."

"Very well, My Lady. I will make the necessary preparations."

I ended the call and got into my basic robes, and ran to the hangar. My ship was ready when I arrived. Vos handed me a homing beacon linked to the cruiser.

"Good luck, Lady Rokal." He called out as I boarded the ship.

I turned and nodded before boarding and closing the ramp. I was up and out of the hanger within the minute and jumped to hyperspace.

I curled up in the captains seat. I watched the blue streaks of hyperspace drift by me slowly. They had always brought me comfort, and they weren't failing me now.

When I was ten minutes away, I reached out through the force for Maul, and I felt him. He was fighting someone, I could feel his anger and frustration through the force.

'I'm here my love.'

I felt his relief through the force. Then I dropped out of hyperspace. It was night time on Mandalore, specifically Sundari, its capital. I flew low in the cloud cover. The smoke filling the air helped mask my presence as well. The last thing I wanted was to be detected by the Jedi cruisers looming above.

I picked up my com link and called out.

"Maul, I'm here, send me your coordinates."

"Right away my love."

The coordinates came through and I sped towards the section of glass ceiling he had indicated. I saw red and blue lights clashing just beneath the glass. Then the blue ones extinguished. The red lights shattered the glass and I came forwards so he could get on. His double bladed saber shone brilliantly through the night. It illuminated his face, and we made eye contact through the glass of the ship. Then a blur of orange and blue tackled him.

"Maul!"

I saw him battle the figure valiantly. It was a Togruta. Young, but war hardened. He eventually cornered her on a broken beam, speaking a few last words before lunging to finish her. But he miscalculated. I screamed as she grabbed the hilt of Maul's blade as he charged her and he plummeted off of the beam.

I could feel his fear through the force.

Then he stopped falling, she caught him, with the force.

then I could hear his words.

"Let me go! Let me die!" He was yelling.

"You're all going to burn! We're all going to die!" He was panicked and enraged.

"You don't know what you're doing!" His words were breaking my heart.

Then a stun blast hit him.

With his last ounce of consciousness, I heard him through the force.

'Leave me, my love, save yourself.'

With tears streaming down my face, I left.

'I love you.' I sent through the force, but I don't think he heard me.

I entered hyperspace and then I cried.


	17. Haunted by the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reference a lot of canon in this, so, disclaimer, I don't own anything Star Wars related

I was in hyperspace now. Once again, I was curled up in the pilot's seat, looking out at the blue streaks flying past me.

Sure, I had been alone before, but this didn't compare at all. I had actually had someone, someone who I loved, and now, just like all the others he was gone too.

I can't have shit in this galaxy, can I?

I think Maul began to shield his feelings from me, I could tell he was alive, but I couldn't sense his emotions, which I had always been able to do. He probably didn't want me to be afraid.

He was obviously doing a great job.

I arrived back at the cruiser. It landed on Dathomir and was just idling, waiting for Maul to call them out of hiding.

But Maul couldn't, he was in Republic custody, on his way to be handed over to his master.

I shuddered at the thought.

After I docked, it was all a blur. I had silently made my way off of my little transport and up to my own quarters without making a sound.

I wrapped myself in one of his robes, and settled onto my couch. I tuned into the HoloNet, hoping for some information.

There was nothing at first, but then a little morsel of what I have been looking for.

"News from Mandalore, powerful Crime Syndicate 'Shadow Collective' leader has been captured and placed into Republic custody and is currently en-route to Coruscant." The HoloNet spewed out before moving on to the next story.

That was him. There was little chance of escape for him. I zoned out for a while before a transmission from a wrinkled, old man interrupted the normal broadcasts.

It was from the leader of the Republic, Chancellor Palpatine.

"Citizens of the civilized galaxy, on this day we mark a transition." He began.

Something about him was eerily familiar, and it wasn't because he had made previous broadcasts, no. It was something else.

It was him. The wan who haunted Maul's every dream, who kept him as a slave and did unspeakable things to him as a boy. Maul never told me who he was. But when he had his night terrors, he didn't shield them. 

It was him.

"The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed, but I assure you my resolve has never been stronger. The war is over." He bellowed triumphantly.

He went on about how the Jedi had tried to overthrow the government, but I could see right through him.

The force did feel different, out of balance to be specific. It was darker and heavier than it once was. It almost seemed in pain and recoiled at my slightest attempt to call on it.

This was it, his master's plan. He hid himself in the very top seat of the Republic, right under the noses of the Jedi, and they remained none the wiser. 

He used the Jedi's own army to destroy them, they turned from friend to foe in just an instant, they stood almost no chance.

There were no more segments on Maul, and I switched it off. 

But then I felt it, I felt him.

He was close, on the ship even. But that can't be true, just hours ago it was reported that he was en-route to Coruscant. I heard those heavy footsteps.

Impossible. 

My door opened.

There he stood, bloodied and beaten.

"Maul!"

I ran to him and pulled him close to me.

He reached his hands up to return the embrace, but I felt him shaking.

I loosened my grip on him just a bit.

"I've failed." He trailed off.

I reached my hand up and cuffed his bruising cheek. There was also a small cut under his eye.

"Maul, you did what you could. You are alive, and that is enough for me." I said.

He leaned into my hand, and sighed deeply. 

"Let me treat your wounds, my love."

He nodded and I led him to the refresher. I filled up the tub as he undressed.

Bruises and gashed riddled his tired body, Mandalore had not been an easy mission. His wrists were badly bruised from what I had to assume were restraints. So were his waist and the lower part of his cheeks and jaw.

Republic custody had not been kind to him.

I helped him lower himself into the warm water. He winced as the water touched his open wounds. Good think his legs are waterproof, I don't think he had the strength to stand for a shower.

I carefully cleaned his cuts, and after that was done, he sat in the water for a while. The water was turned a light red from the blood.

I drained the water and he exited the tub. I walked with him to my bedroom and he sat on the edge of my bed. I applied bacta to the deeper cuts and the worse bruises, the rest would heal well on their own.

"Maul, you must rest." I said, as it looked like he was about to get up and leave.

"I know, but I doubt the sleep I get will be restful." He said, sounding tired.

"You can't just stay awake, you are exhausted."

He sighed and gave up fighting. I sat at the head of the bed and laid a pillow in my lap. I also put some behind me to prop myself up. He laid his head down on it and closed his eyes. I rubbed soothing circles into his temples, and he relaxed. He was asleep after a while.

Then a night terror started. I could hear it, it was so loud in his head. I wanted to know what was troubling him, so I looked inside. 

He was inside some box, he couldn't move or call on the force. There was a small window he could look out. He could also barely breath. The thing that covered his mouth gave just enough oxygen to keep him alive and conscious. I looked out the glass and I saw that Togruta again. She looked back at Maul before turning to continue talking to the Republic soldier standing beside her. Then we were in the bowels of the ship. Behind a ray shield. Then two guards entered. They opened the box he was trapped in, and drew their blasters. I felt true fear in him. He thought he was going to die. But then the mysterious Togruta appeared again. She used the force to push the guards, and then let Maul out, but she kept her blue light saber to his throat. They exchanged a few words, I couldn't make out.

"I need a diversion, and you're it." The Togruta spat, pushing the blade closer to his throat. "Now go cause some chaos, its what you're good at." She said before exiting the cell.

He followed her out.

"Care to give me a fighting chance?" He inquired, gesturing to one of the Togruta's blades.

"I'm not rooting for you. Now get going." She said back, and with that he turned and left.

Then he was in the hangar, running towards a shuttle while all of the clones shot at the Togruta and another clone. The Togruta spotted him and charged, he threw crates and boxes at her.

"You wanted this chaos!" He screamed before pushing her off the edge of a platform with the force. 

He boarded the ship and started it, and began to take off. Then something grabbed his ship. It couldn't be a tractor beam, the ship was too damaged for one to still be operational. It was that Togruta, holding on with the force. She let go after a while, and maul promptly jumped to hyperspace.

'I'm coming, my love.' I heard him think.

While he sat there in the cockpit, I could see that there was a presence reaching out to him- his old master. He plagued Maul's mind with his worst memories, Maul grabbed his head and fell to the floor, screaming.

'You can never escape me. You are nothing.' A raspy voice spat at him. The memories continued, it was like he couldn't shut them off, and I sat there, terrified, watching each and every one. When the night terror subsided, I pulled myself out.

A tear slid down my cheek, and I placed a light kiss on his forehead. I sent calm energy and fond memories of us his way, and he finally relaxed and found fitful sleep.


	18. Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Immediate shift from 18BBY to 14BBY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long chapter, I couldn't really find a way to break it up without one being too short. Also my laptop died while I was almost done with this and i thought I lost it, but my laptop kept it thank god

We remained on Dathomir for almost one year after the fall of the Republic. Maul conducted his business on the down low. The last thing Maul wanted was to be discovered by his master. And he actually wanted to leave the syndicate, which had now morphed into Crimson Dawn. Maul gave his puppet, Vos more authority. He was really a ruthless man, perfectly cut out for this line of work, but he could be a bit dull sometimes.

During that time, I spent a lot of time in the hangar, keeping myself busy. There really wasn't much to do on Dathomir. Leaving the cruiser was a bad idea because rancors ran wild out there.

Maul ensured that no one knew of our relationship. Our meetings in his office were that of ones between the Director of Crimson Dawn and the Head of the Mechanics Department. Nothing more.

He conducted regular meetings with department heads, so ours didn't stick out. I really wasn't close with anyone besides Maul, so nobody really wondered where I was.

I remember the day the engines fired, and we lifted off the surface of Dathomir. We resumed business as usual after that. 

It had been five years since the fall of the republic when I found that I was with child.

I had never seen Maul so happy, but worried at the same time. 

The crime lords that served under Maul had become more and more restless over the years. They were tired of Maul being in control, but they didn't possess the power or leverage necessary to overthrow him.

But Maul didn't want me or the child to become leverage, it was a dangerous game. 

When I was three months along, Maul moved me off ship and to a farmhouse on Naboo. He stopped by as much as he could, but it wasn't long before someone caught the scent of what was going on.

It was night time at the farmhouse. I had my lantern on, reading an article from my datapad. I was about five months along at this point.

I heard hushed whispers from outside, them my front door being broken in. I didn't wait to send the SOS call to Maul. I knew he wasn't supposed to visit again for another week, so this meant trouble.

Three men entered my room, they placed a bag over my head, and I screamed, I felt a syringe plunge into my neck, and then everything went black.

I awoke later in the hull of a ship. For some reason, they hadn't found the emergency com link that I stuffed in the bottom of my bra. It had a tracking beacon on it, which meant Maul was coming. These men were dead. The crew on the ship were numbered at about twenty or twenty five. That would be an easy job for Maul. I didn't attempt to contact him with the com, for fear of my captors finding it and destroying it. 

Eventually, the leader of the group came down and into my cell. He was a short Weequay man with two long braids.

"Viera Rokal? Is it?" The man said. 

I remained silent.

"Not much of a talker, are ya?"

I kept my silence.

"Look, I necessarily don't mean you any harm. But you are worth a lot of money, girl. Considering whose child that is."

"What do you know?" I spat back.

For this he slapped me across the face.

"Don't you talk back to me, girl. My hospitality can be rather thin sometimes."

He turned and began to leave. 

"I'd hold your tongue, Lady Rokal, I wouldn't want for you to lose it." He called over his shoulder.

I began to laugh, he was a dead man walking. Maybe he would have made it out alive if he hadn't hit me. But now, Maul was going to kill him.

An hour later or so, a young human male came in with a tray of food.

"I see you've met Baruhk." He said shyly,almost pitifully.

"If that's the bastard's name, then yes, he's introduced himself."

He laughed. But behind the patchy stubble, I could see his youth. He couldn't have been more than myself.

"What's your name?" I inquired.

"Hasnain. But you can call me Hass for short." He said as he set the tray down in front of me. He was lingering.

"Do you need something, Hass?" I asked.

"No, I just have to watch you while you eat." He responded.

"Oh, of course. Come, sit. make yourself at home." I said warmly.

He laughed and took a seat on the floor beside me.

"You're young." I said.

"Nineteen, I think. Maybe twenty by now. who knows." He said, looking at the ceiling. It was dark in the cell, I don't really know what he was looking at. "You don't look too old yourself."

"Twenty-three or twenty-four." I said. "Where are you from, Hasnain?" I inquired, he had that orphan demeanor, and I wanted to know where he hailed from.

"Corellia." He said.

"Nar Shaddaa." I responded. "Going out on a limb here, but, orphan?" 

"How'd you know?" He smirked.

"We can usually spot our kind." I responded. The food wasn't half bad.

"Well how'd you get out of Corellia?" I asked. "From what I've heard, its hard for a Corellian born orphan to leave the planet."

"Well, I don't think I was born on Corellia, because I have a vague memory of being on a ship that took me to Corellia when I was very young." He started. "And I'm not really free, I've been a slave for as long as I can remember."

"So Baruhk is your master?" I asked.

"Yep."

"What about the other crew members?"

"Nah, they're free now. Used to be slaves, but Baruhk freed 'em in exchange for them to keep working on his ship."

"Sounds like they're still enslaved."

"On paper, no. They're free. But in reality, they're still slaves. Just like me." He said, once again glancing back to the ceiling, as if he was looking at the stars beyond it. "Baruhk bought me two years ago, I think I have a while before he gives me the offer."

I felt bad for this kid, having no choice ever in his life. I may not have had many, but at least I had some.

"How many are there?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" 

"How many crew members?" I asked again.

"Twenty-four including me."

"You might want to hide, Hass." I said.

"What? Why?"

"Because he's coming."

"No, he's not." He looked away, sad. "They know you have the com link. But this cell blocks all frequencies." He stopped. "I'm sorry."

I fell back, Maul wasn't coming, I started to panic a little bit.

"So then, its true?" He asked.

"What's true?" I inquired.

"The father, it's that Dathomirian who runs Crimson Dawn, isn't it?" He asked again. "But we're only in trouble if he finds us. Which he won't."

I stayed silent, but my silence said all he needed to know.

"Hass, its not an 'if' he finds you, its a 'when' he finds you. He is a very powerful man, and he doesn't take kindly to those who threaten the ones he loves."

He seemed distraught.

"When he finds us, he's going to kill us, isn't he?"

"Yes." I started, "But if you help me, I can spare you."

"I- I don't know. Baruhk will kill me."

"I'm sorry Hass, but if you don't help me, you're a dead man anyways." I said. "It's no use trying to lie to him, he can sense you deceits."

"I never wanted this, I didn't want them to kidnap you, that's not what we do. We're local freighters, not guns for hire." He said, "We got offered the job and Baruhk was gunna say no, but then he saw the pay and couldn't pass it up. They didn't want to give you food or anything but I convinced them. I told them that you were worth more if the baby remained alive, and they believed me."

"I know you didn't want this, the guilt is written all over your face. I can see that your heart is good, but you are stuck is a very hard spot." I said, genuinely. "I want to help you. If Maul comes, he can free you, I promise."

"But he's a crime lord, one of the most wanted in the galaxy? How do you know he won't kill me?"

"Because he listens to me. I can assure you that."

"But how could I help you? this tiny ass ship is full of people loyal to Baruhk." He asked.

I slipped the com out from my bra.

"The tracking function is on. Slip this in your boot and exit the room. The signal will connect and he can track our location." I said, putting the tracker in his hand. "Bus, Hass, when they say that he's here, you need to get into this cell with me, do you understand?"

"Yes." He slipped the com into his boot and walked towards the door. He turned around, "Thank you, Lady Rokal." He carried my tray away and out of sight, I was alone once again.

Hours passed, and then I heard frantic yelling. 

"One lone ship approaching, sir, hot and heavy." A voice said.

A different voice popped up, Baruhk's I think, "Looks like someone has come looking for our guest. Blast 'em out of the sky." He said laughing.

Oh, if it were only that easy, I thought to myself. I've never met a better pilot than Maul.

A slew of blaster fire ensued.

"Sir, we can't land a shot!" A voice barked.

"Sir, they're about to dock at the emergency airlock!" Another said.

"Grab your weapons and be ready for when they come through that door." Baruhk said.

"Yes, sir!" I heard multiple men yell.

First of all there was no 'they', it was only him. And it would take a lot more than some ill trained freighters to take him down.

"Hasnain!" Baruhk barked, "Go with Tahteaal and Ravik to guard the prisoner." He said, "Make sure that whore doesn't get out."

"Yes, Sir!" They all said. 

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I saw Hass with another human and a Bith man appeared. Then I heard the airlock open, and shortly after the power cut. Maul didn't need light to hunt. I heard his light saber activate and then shouts to surrender, shortly followed by pained screams. 

Then I heard his footsteps, Loud and mechanical. I'm surprised I couldn't feel his presence though. This cell must block you from the force too, or they gave me a force suppressant. 

Then a red light shined from the end of the hall.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me" He said, anger dripping from his voice. "Now let her go, and I might let you live."

The other two opened fire, which he quickly deflected. Hass, opened the cell and came in with me. Maul had now sheathed his saber and used the force to lift the two off of the ground by their necks. He was choking them.

"You never learn your lesson, do you?" He said as he finally snapped their necks. 

He dropped their limp corpses to the floor. 

Maul advanced towards Hass and I. He entered my cell and ignited his saber.

A growl of pure hate and anger emerged from his lips.

"Maul, do not kill him." 

Maul froze, almost bewildered.

"He helped me, he was the reason you received my signal. Spare him." I demanded.

Maul, with his saber still ignited approached Hass. He grabbed him by his face roughly with his free hand and pulled him closer to himself. He brought his crimson blade right up to his face. I could tell he was searching his mind.

"Fine." He growled and released him. "What is your name, boy?"

"Hasnain." He said shakily.

"Where are you from?" He questioned.

"Corellia, Sir."

"And what was your role in this kidnapping?" Maul asked, angrily. 

"I'm just a slave on board this ship, Sir, I have no bearing where it goes, only that I must follow it wherever it may be."

"Alright, Hasnain of Corellia, you may live."

I felt a sigh of relief leave Hass' mouth.

"Viera, my love are you alright?" Maul had turned his attention to me.

"I am alright, dear. So is our child." He helped me to my feet.

"Can you walk?"

"I think so..." I said, wearily.

"I'm not taking that chance." He said as he gently picked me up, cradling me in his arms.

"Hasnain is coming too, by the way."

"Hmm?" Maul questioned.

"We're not leaving him here." I reiterated.

"Very well. Hasnain, grab your blaster and lets get going."

When we stepped into the hallway, the lights came back on. That's when Maul saw the bruise on my face left by Baruhk.

I felt his anger swell.

"Who did this?"

"The captain. Have you killed him yet?"

"I don't believe so, I've only faced about ten men." He said. "Well it looks like we have to take care of the rest of these beings."

We made our way to the cockpit, where it appeared everyone was holed up.

Maul set me to my feet, ignited his blade, and slowly drew his saber and cutting through the door.

"Dear, doesn't that thing cut a little faster?" I asked.

"Oh it does, my love, but I want to make them afraid." He smirked. "Hasnain, will you be brought any joy by this?"

"Actually, sir, I will." He said, anger filling his voice. "They treated me like I was nothing more than an object for their disposal. I would very much like to look into their eyes whilst they meet their ends."

"I'm beginning to like you more and more, Hasnain." Maul was fully grinning now.

He finished cutting the door and waited a few moments before violently sending it inwards with a powerful kick. Blaster fire rained." many bodies littered the floor when Maul motioned for Hass and I to enter. 

"Tell me, dear, which one is he?" Maul asked.

I pointed to the short Weequay slumped against a control panel. He was alive and awake. Maul picked him up with the force and tossed him across the room like he was no more than a cheap rag doll. A grunt escaped Baruhk's lips as he hit the wall.

Maul's fury was showing through every punch and kick. Baruhk was bloodied and beaten, but still alive.

After one rather violent throw that left a Baruhk-shaped dent in the wall, Maul used the force to pick him up by the neck and draw him into his actual hand. He began to squeeze.

"Nobody lays a hand on my woman," Maul started, "and lives to tell the tale." he spat as he squeezed hard.

I heard his throat begin to crush and his breathing became labored and Maul dropped him to the ground.

"Hasnain, this man has done more wrong by you than he has Lady Rokal, would you like to do the honors?" Maul asked Hass. He turned and offered his blade to him.

"Sir..." Hass trailed off, "It would be my pleasure."

Hass took the saber from Maul's hand, ignited it, and loomed over Baruhk.

He kicked him so that he now lay on his back, looking up at him. Baruhk's eyes were wide with fear.

He raised the blade and impaled the Weequay right through the heart, he writhed for a moment before going still. Hass then spat on the corpse and walked out of the cockpit.

"I must say, Viera, I really do like him." Maul said. "Are you satisfied?"

"Yes, my love."

Maul picked me up again and walked us towards the airlock, Hass was waiting there. 

"Welcome aboard, Hasnain of Corellia."

Maul set me down in my usual bunk.

"Rest my love, we will be back on Naboo in no time."

I was exhausted, so I closed my eyes and attempted to fall asleep.

But one thing kept me awake. Hasnain. It was a detail that I hadn't processed until just now. His eyes, they were... familiar. 

No. It can't be him. He is dead.

But Hasnain's eyes... they... they were my eyes.


	19. Do You Remember Me?

In the coming days, Maul stayed with me at my new farmhouse on Naboo, this time with a little more security. He arranged for one of his best soldiers to stay in the house with me at all times. He was actually planning on training Hasnain to be the permanent bodyguard. He was well built, strong, and also had some degree of a connection to the force. It wasn't to the level of mine or Maul's connection, but it was enough to throw some objects around and have heightened senses.

This only furthered my suspicions. He had my eyes and was connected to the force in some way. From my memory of Kolin, his skin was darker than mine. I had lightly tan skin, while his was a light honey brown. He had dark, course coils that covered his head. Hass' skin was slightly darker, and I couldn't tell his hair type as they were drawn back into long dreadlocks. But Hass didn't feel familiar through the force at all, but then again, I had tried my best to forget him all those years ago...

No, that's impossible. He's gone, and if he was still alive, what are the odds that we would meet in such a chance setting? 

I had to let go. 

I didn't tell Maul of my suspicions, he might think I'm going crazy.

Maul trained Hass for a month before deeming him ready to guard me around the clock. Hass had previous combat training, as one tends to pick up as they grow up trafficked or enslaved, and in Hass' case, both. It was mostly hand to hand with some staff experience. His hand to hand combat skills were very good, and all maul did was work on his marksmanship and staff combat.

Upon Maul dropping Hass off with me, he gave Hass an electrostaff and a military grade blaster. 

Maul sent Hass to the nearby town to pick up supplies so he and I could spend some time with each other.

"Have the guards been treating you well, Viera?" Maul asked, sitting on the couch with me tucked under his arm.

"Yes, they have." I said. "I just wish it could be you more often."

"I know. I've been trying to distribute most of my responsibilities among my department heads, but there seems to be too much work and not enough staff." He trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry Viera, I want to be around more, you have no idea how much happiness you and our child have brought me. I'm trying my best to be here for you and our baby, but it's just so hard."

"I know, my love." I said, sitting on my side to face him. "You try your best every day, and in doing so, you have built this life for us." 

I took Maul's hand and removed his glove. I placed his hand on my swollen stomach. He sighed and rubbed his hand across my abdomen. He closed his eyes and reached out in the force, feeling the small life-form growing inside of me.

"I will protect you and this baby with my life, I promise that to you." Maul said.

I kissed him and settled back into my previous position, my head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around me, the other hand still on my womb, listening to the steady drum of two hearts in his chest, while everything in the galaxy felt right in that moment. 

When Hass returned, Maul had to leave, he said his tender goodbyes and promised to return.

Once he left, Hass took a seat on the chair across from my spot on the couch.

"I hope he wasn't too hard on you while I was gone." I laughed.

"No, not at all, Lady Rokal." He chuckled.

"Oh, cut the 'Lady Rokal' crap, call me Vi." I said.

"Maul strictly told me to address you by formal titles only." He responded.

"Well he also told you to listen to me, right?" I laughed again.

"Fair enough, Vi." He smiled.

"I know I'm kind of diving right in here, but what do you remember of your childhood? Before you were taken to Corellia." I inquired.

"Well, for the life of me, I can't tell you what planet I came from. Only that it was like Corellia, with lots and lots of city." He said. "But I was like four, and I don't really remember it at all." He chuckled, shaking his head.

He remained silent for a minute.

"But there is one thing I do remember, I wasn't always called Hasnain." He trailed off, not sure how to say his next words. "I was called something else before I was taken to Corellia. Hasnain is just the name they gave me. They never asked what my real one was." He chuckled again, "Not that I would really remember what it was after all this time."

"Do you remember... anything about it?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't know. It was like Kollid... or Caulis...-"

"Or Kolin?"

"Huh?" He gave me a weird look.

"Was it Kolin?" I asked again, staring right into his soul.

"Uh, jeez, I don't know. Maybe?" He said. "Why?"

"Oh, its nothing." I said dejectedly.

"Well its obviously something, Vi." He said. "You forget I can feel the force too, I can sense that your deeply troubled by something."

"Its you, Hass." I said. "You are what has been troubling me. Every time I closed my eyes. Ever since I was eight years old."

"I'm not sure what you mean, Vi."

"I had a brother. Well, half brother. He was four years younger than me." A tear slid down my cheek. "We got kicked out of the orphanage when I was eight and he was four." I looked over to him. "He would be about your age."

Hass just looked at me in stunned silence.

"But... I don't remember you." He said.

"You used to call me 'Veera', because you couldn't figure out how to pronounce my actual name." I said. "You have my eyes. You have a connection with the force. For force's sake you look just like him." I said, almost yelling now.

We sat in awkward silence.

"You just remind me so much of him. I'm sorry if this is coming off wrong, but it has been bothering me ever since that day we met in the cell, the day I saw your eyes."

He looked down at his hands.

"Veera..." He trailed off, seemingly deep in thought.

"You know what, forget it. I'm sorry. I just need to rest." I got up and made my way to my bedroom door. "Goodnight, Hass."

"Goodnight, Vi."


	20. Son

I awoke that morning with a sore back, obviously the result of carrying another person within you. 

I had an appointment in Theed where I was going to get some scans and tests done, maybe even an ultrasound.

I walked out of my room to find Hass already awake, making something at the stove.

"Good morning, Vi. Did you sleep well?" Hass said over the stove.

Whatever he was making smelled good.

"I certainly did try, my friend, but my back is killing me." I said as I took a seat at the table.

Hass took the food off the stove and put it on a plate. He brought it to me and my mouth watered. Before me sat a slice of meat, expertly cooked and seasoned, a small bowl of porridge, and a glass of water.

"Make sure to tell the doctor at your appointment today." He started, as he moved the dirty pots to the dishwasher. "They might be able to prescribe you something."

"Will do, Hass."

"Eat up, we have to leave within the hour." He said before exiting the kitchen to go to his own quarters.

I finished eating, and then entered my room to get dressed. I opened my wardrobe to find something to wear that would assist in blending into the Theed crowds. It was probably best that Maul hadn't accompanied me on this trip. Theed was populated by a majority of humans and some Gungans. Other species were few and far between, mostly being twi'leks, togrutas, rhodians, and the like. Maul, with his crimson skin, expansive tattoos, and crown of horns would stick out like a sore thumb. Not to mention, Maul had also been involved with the Invasion of Naboo more than two decades earlier, so his presence would most likely not have been welcome. The last thing he needed was to be picked up by Naboo authorities and handed over the the empire, and in turn, his former master.

I picked out a maroon and black robe set, and put it on. I exited my room just as Hass had finished getting ready. He wore dark brown robes with a blaster on his belt and his electrostaff slung over his shoulder.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yup."

We walked out the door of the farmhouse and to Hass' speeder. He hopped on and I sat behind him, wrapping my arms around his broad frame. He was larger than Maul, about three or four inches taller and much bulkier.

It took almost two hours by speeder to reach Theed.

The streets were lively, the only reminder of the Empire's rule was the occasional trio of storm troopers. The city seemed undeterred by the Empire's rule. It looked just how Maul had described it to me. 

"Have you ever been to Theed?" Hass asked, his arm linked with mine as we made our way through the crowded streets.

"No, I haven't. But Maul has, once. A long time ago." I said, looking up at the amazing architecture and brilliant foliage that expertly intertwined itself with the lively city. "It looks exactly how he described it."

"I'm guessing he enjoyed his trip here. After all he did hide you away here." Hass said, looking around.

I grimaced. "'Enjoyed' is definitely not the word I would use for it." 

Maul was reminded of his severe disability every day, a wound that made him 'less of a man' in his own eyes. Theed isn't a place of fond memories for him, but it is a place of new beginnings. His life started anew the second that Jedi rid him of his legs and sent him plummeting down that shaft. His life started over at that point, and even though he waited more than a decade for his salvation, he still saw it as the moment the force took him off the path that ultimately would have led to his downfall. The city not only reminds him of what he lost that day, but what he gained as well.

"I've been to Theed before. Only once, though. My crew was on layover here so all of us went around to the bars and restaurants. It's one of the fondest memories I have. I always imagined being able to call a place like this home, and I guess now I kinda can."

We arrived at the doctors office soon after. I checked in with the receptionist and sat down in the waiting area next to Hass. Maul had paid for one of the higher-end doctors to see me, as I was surrounded by people who seemed far wealthier than Hass and I looked. We were clad in basic, simple robes, made of cotton and wool, while those who surrounded us donned satin and silk robes. We got a few sideways glances, but that was until the doctor called me in.

"Lady Rokal?" The small, blonde woman called. 

I stood, almost smugly, as I looked at the bewildered glances I received upon being addressed with the title "Lady".

She was sweet and led Hass and I to an exam room. I changed into the gown while the two of them waited outside.

When I was ready, they entered. I sat on the exam table, and the woman, who introduced herself as Dr. Vaithin, started asking some basic questions.

"Hello, Lady Rokal. My name is Dr. Vaithin and I will be running your checkup today." She said cheerfully. "Can I assume that you are the lucky dad?" She turned her attention to Hass.

"What? Uh, No... I'm not. Not me. Definitely not me-"

"He's my brother." I cut him off. I saw her looking at our contrasting skin tones. "Half-brother." I clarified.

"Ah, I see." She said, jotting something down on her data pad. "Well congratulations anyways."

"Thank you." I said. 

Hass gave me a sideways 'why did you say that' look and I shot back one of the 'I don't know just roll with it' looks.

"This is your first appointment with us, so I'll start with some questions." She said.

"Of course." I replied.

"You seem to be around six and a half to seven months along. Do you know the exact week?" She asked, looking up at me.

"Sorry Doc, I have no idea." I said. Maul and I had certainly been... busy... at that time.

"No worries, I should be able to take a guess when I do your scans." She said, once again, recording something on her data pad. "Alright, and you are fully human, correct?"

"Yes." I said.

"And what is your age?"

"Twenty-four." I said in response. I wasn't quite sure if it was twenty-three or twenty-four, so I just decided to go with it.

"Occupation?"

"Former mechanic, out of full time practice for five years, and on-again off-again ever since." I said.

"Mhmm." She hummed. "And of the father, what species is he?"

"Zabrak."

She jotted that down and then went for a follow up. "Iridonian?"

"No, Dathomirian." I said.

"How interesting, you don't see that every day." She said lightheartedly.

I laughed, "No, you certainly do not." We chuckled on that for a few more moments.

"How old is he?"

Oh boy, this was a good question. "Thirty-nine or forty. I think"

However, no judgement was passed.

"Makes sense, a Zabrak's lifespan is usually thirty to forty years longer than a human's. So that puts him right in his prime." She said. "And what of his occupation?"

Oh for the love of the force, am I just supposed to tell her hes the leader of an organized crime syndicate? One of the most feared in the galaxy? 

"Business owner." I settled on.

"Oh, type of business?" She inquired.

Here we go again.

"Trading."

"Alright, that's all I need for now, lets get the scans ready." She said warmly and placed her data pad on the desk.

The scans went by quickly, and she moved to the ultrasound. I saw it, my child, my son. HE was alive and moving. I had never felt so proud in my life. I could only imagine how Maul would feel once she showed him.

"Dr. Viathan, is it possible you could put these images on a data chip for me?" I asked, unable to remove my eyes from the image of my son.

"Of course, Lady Rokal."

The rest of the appointment went by, and she prescribed some vitamins to take. They were very different than what a human baby would need, but because of his parentage, he would need more nutrients to grow to his full size. And what I also didn't know was that I was due in a month to month and a half. I assumed it would be nine months like a human, but Maul said that a Zabrak's gestation period is closer to six months, so Doc predicted I would be due soon. 

With that, she wished me farewell, and told me to call her if anything happened.

I changed back into my maroon robes and exited the office. Hass and I walked in silence for a while. The streets were significantly quieter. When we arrived at where the speeder was parked, Hass spun to face me.

"Why did you say I was your brother in there?" He asked.

"Oh... Uh, I don't know. I said something believable."

"You could have just said I was your friend." He said back.

"Oh yeah, the male person that came to a doctor's appointment with me who I say is my friend is definitely not the father." I said sarcastically. "So believable."

Hass scoffed. "Look, Vi, I'm just worried that you're growing attached to me as someone I'm not. You aren't growing close to me as a friend, you're growing close to me as if I am your brother."

"I... I didn't mean to offend." I said, looking down at my feet.

"It's okay, Vi. I know you don't mean to offend, and I'm not. I just don't want you to get your hopes up that I may be your long lost brother. I don't even remember my childhood or remotely where I came from, I don't even know if that name I thought I had before was real or just a fever dream, I just don't know." He said, and turned away from me to look at the rolling hills and waterfalls on the outskirts of Theed. "It tears me apart... not knowing. But I have gotten so used to it just being me. Nobody else, just myself in a world that couldn't give a shit about me."

I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"I give a shit about you, Hass." I said. "and I'm sorry, I'm just trying to get my shit together. I think I just want my child to have a family, like more than just his mother and father. I'm afraid that I might just be looking for a family wherever I turned."

"It's okay. lets just go home." Hass said.

"I could not agree more."

With that we mounted the speeder and sped off into the horizon towards our home.


	21. The Memories I Will Always Carry

I will always remember the day that my son came into the galaxy, the way the force coursed through him and around him like no other.

It was a rainy day, and I was sitting in bed reading an article from a data pad, I can't even tell you what that article was about because all of a sudden the bed felt wet under me.

Shit.

I called for Hass and he was in my room in an instant. Maul was the next to be called, and he was there within the hour with some medical droids.

They set up my bedroom within ten minutes. Maul was by my side as I worked through the pain.

What kept me going was the memory of his face when I sent him the images from the doctors. We were on transmission together, just talking about anything and everything. I pulled out the data chip and plugged it into my data pad and sent them to him.

"Maul?"

"Hmm?" He responded.

"Look at your data pad" I said, trying to hide my giddiness.

He picked it up and he looked at the images I transmitted. he froze, his mouth open just a hair. He caressed his fingers across the image in absolute awe at his child. His son.

"Maul." I started, he looked up at me through the transmission. "Its a boy. We're having a son."

He stayed silent, bringing his head to his hands, I saw a tear run down his cheek. He wiped it away and returned his focus to the images on the data pad.

"My son." He said, practically a whisper, still entranced by the image on his screen. "Our son."

I laughed as a tear ran down my cheek, wishing he was here in person to share this moment with.

"He has your nose." I choked out in a half sob- half laugh.

"He does."

Even through the light years of space that separated us, I could feel the pride swell in his chest. Hell, the kid wasn't even born yet, but Maul looked at his child with such love and pride that I couldn't even put it into words.

I returned myself back to the present from that tender memory.

The pain was unimaginable, but Maul was right there beside me, my rock, what I built everything off of. When it came time to push, I was on the verge of tears. Maul rearranged himself so I sat between his legs, my back laying against his chest, his metal legs on either side of me, and his arms wrapped around me.

After what seemed like forever, the droid lifted up a squirming, red infant. Maul and I simultaneously breathed out in relief. One medical droid finished up with me while the other did a check up with the infant. My eyes never left my son, not letting my attention drop until the droid returned my son to my arms.

"He does have your nose." I said, then looked up at maul who was looking over my shoulder. "I knew it."

Maul remained silent, his mouth slightly open, bringing a finger to caress his son's cheek.

His skin was red, just like Maul's. You could see the bumps on his little head where his crown of horns would eventually grow.

The droids left the room, leaving us alone, while we adored our son.

We rearranged so that Maul could lay beside me, and hold his son. I carefully handed the little bundle to him. He held it with such care and delicateness, a level of it that one who had never really knew him would say he was incapable of. Maul held him to his chest, rocking him back and forth.

"My mother would be proud." He said, the first thing to leave his mouth.

I never met the woman, but I knew her fate, along with the rest of the inhabitants of Dathomir. All their lives ended by the Separatists in the dying days of the Clone Wars. So long ago.

He was the only known Nightbrother to survive the purge. Thus making his son, the last of his kind. Even though I was human, the child was still considered to be the last because the Nighsisters, whom the Nightbrothers usually procreated with, were near-human or completely human.

"Viera." Maul looked over to me. "I'm done. With Crimson Dawn. With everything. This life with you and our son is the only life I want."

I looked at him, dumbstruck.

"What are you going to do?" I asked. "You said it yourself, nobody can leave Crimson Dawn, not even you." 

"I know." He said. 

"What about Dryden? He never liked you or me. I could sense it." I said back, getting panicked.

"Dryden is no longer an issue. He was killed by a mercenary that he himself hired." He started, speaking quietly, as to not wake the sleeping child in his arms. "His lieutenant, Qi'ra, is taking his place. I discussed the transition of power with her last week on Dathomir."

I sat there, contemplating for a second.

"She is still there, and I will travel there to finalize the transition."

"But what if the syndicates find out you've left-"

"They won't." He said, "Qi'ra is going to 'kill' me." 

I gasped.

"I will be dead to the world. And I will finally be in the paradise that was promised to me so long ago, standing by your side."

He pulled me to his side, so that my neck laid in the crook of his shoulder, with our child snug between us. I was so tired, I quickly fell asleep, with everything in the world feeling right.

I awoke late that night. Maul wasn't beside me and neither was the baby. I made my way to the nursery and found Maul passed out in a chair, with his son snug and asleep against his chest. I placed a hand on Maul's cheek.

"My love." I said quietly.

He stirred and opened his tired eyes.

"I got him, go to bed, dear." Maul nodded, and placed a kiss on his son's head as well as mine, then got up.

I cradled my son, whom I had not thought of a name for yet.

I placed him in his crib, sound asleep, and made my way to the kitchen. I got a cold glass of water and sat at the table. I sensed Hass behind me.

"Vi?" He asked.

"Yeah?" I responded slightly turned my head in his direction.

"Its mast midnight."

"I know" I responded.

"Can I tell you something?" He asked as he sat across from me at the table.

"Of course."

"I'm new to all of this force stuff, and I think I had a dream, or a vision or something."

"What happened?" I inquired, then took a sip of my water.

"It showed me a memory, one that I had forgotten." He trailed off. "One from my time before Corellia."

I lifted my head.

"And I saw you." He said. "My hand was in yours, as you led me through a crowded market. You had just handed me a fruit and told me to hurry behind you."

"The Narthall Market..." I trailed off, remembering this exact moment.

"I had always known you felt familiar. I didn't know if it was my gut feeling, or what I now know was the force, telling me to follow you. But now I know. It was you."

A tear slid down my cheek and I reached my hand across the table to grab his.

"Kolin..." I choked out.

"Vi..." He said.

"I had just stolen a fruit from a vendor because you said you were hungry." I chuckled. "We were so short compared to everyone else, the vendor didn't even see me snatch it."

I saw tears coming down his cheek as well.

"I made myself forget you after you disappeared. That's why I didn't realize it could be you all those months ago on Baruhk's ship." I said. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"I'm right here, Vi."

I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Do you want to see your nephew?"

"Please." He said.

We got up and made our way to the nursery. I picked up my sleeping child and placed him in his uncle's arms.

"He has Maul's nose." He said.

"I know." I wiped a stray tear from my cheek as I chuckled.

"The force feels... different around him. I don;t quite know how to describe it." He trailed off, staring in awe down at his nephew. "So mush power, but so much reserve..."

"Balance." I said.

"A true embodiment of the force."

My brother looked up at me, with tears in his eyes. 

He placed my son back in his crib, and we exited the nursery.

"Do you still want to be called Hasnain?" I asked, timidly.

"Hasnain is really the only name I've ever known. It's who I am. But it was given to me as a slave, so I will always associate it with that." He trailed off. "But Kolin was a name given out of love. It is a name that I do not know, but I would like to know it. I will always be Hass, but by heart I am Kolin."

"Then declare what you want. You are free to choose."

"Kolin Hass." He said.

I smiled. 

"I can't call myself Rokal with confidence."

"Yeah they never told me what your last name was. I don't know if Rokal was my mother's name or my father's. And we don't know which parent we share. So I guess we're playing it safe." I chuckled.

Two lives separated way too early were finally brought back together. I slept with ease, the most comfortable sleep I have gotten in a long time. Knowing that all I loved was there with me, under this roof.


	22. Salvation of the Apprentice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time shift from 14 BBY to 10 BBY

Two weeks later, Qi'ra faked Maul's death to the syndicate and the galaxy. The deal was that Qi'ra would 'kill' Maul by shooting his ship down, and would assume power of Crimson Dawn. We moved a different farmhouse, deep in the lush forests of Naboo. Since Maul was now around all the time, Kolin was free to do as he wished. He purchased a piece of land about a twenty minute speeder ride away from us and built his own house.

Maul and I had also decided on a name for our son.

Sabel.

The only thing that Maul loved more than me was Sabel, he was his father's pride and joy, and not to mention, he was incredibly gifted with the force.

Seeing Maul with our child brought a new light to him. His features seemed softer, the rage that had boiled within him for so so long seemed to finally be cooling. His family was healing him.

We had four happy years together, as a family.

But then the night terrors started.

It was a peaceful night and I had just fallen asleep myself, when I awoke to Maul stirring beside me. I opened my eyes and turned tover to see him drenched in a cold sweat. He started mumbling something, he was incoherent at first, but then his words became louder and more clear.

"No... please..."

"Maul, wake up." I said, putting a gentle hand on his bare chest.

"Please! Have mercy!" He was almost yelling now.

"Maul, snap out of it! Its okay!"

"Please! Please!" He was yelling and thrashing around, seemingly in pain.

He then awoke.

"He's found us." Maul said looking straight ahead, eyes large with terror.

"Maul? What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Master. He's coming for us..." He trailed off. "For Sabel."

My eyes widened with fear.

"But... how?" I stammered out.

"The man... that monster... raised me since I was a mere child." He started. "Of course we had some type of force bond. No matter how cruel he may have been."

He sat there in silence.

"During my time of exile on Lotho Minor, I severed our bond, after realizing that he would never come. The hate. The betrayal." He said. "It was what kept me going until my brother found me."

"But you severed the bond! How can he sense you?" I asked.

"With my master, nothing is impossible." He trailed off again. "Take Sabel and go to Kolin. I will stay here."

"Why would you stay here? This is our chance, we can escape in Theed." I pleaded, but his mind was made up.

"My presence will serve as a magnet to Sidious. Wherever I go, he will follow. Now go, Viera. He is close."

I ran into Sabel's room and scooped up my drowsy four year old. He yawned as I put his head on my shoulder. His horns had just started to make themselves known, stubby, but very notable. His deep blue eyes, my eyes looked up at me.

"Momma?" He asked sleepily. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, sweetie, we're just going to Kolin's house for the night, maybe even Theed."

"Is daddy coming?" He asked.

"I don't know, honey. Now shhh, go to sleep." I said as Sabel slipped his head back against my shoulder. His horns weren't large enough or sharp enough to puncture skin, but they were a little uncomfortable at that angle.

I exited Sabel's room and Maul had thrown some clothes in a bag, along with a comlink.

"Viera you have to leave now. I can sense him getting closer. As long as he is oblivious to your presence, would will be safe. Shield yourself and Sabel. I've already contacted Kolin and he is waiting for you. I instructed him to shield his presence as well."

"You're not coming."

"I can't Viera." He said putting a hand to my cheek. "I'm sorry. But we knew this day would come. Just not this soon."

"I know."

He placed a kiss on my forehead, and then one on Sabel's.

"We will meet again." he said. "When it is safe. The comlink in the bag is a single channel encrypted device, it can only contact me and vise versa, it is untraceable. This is my chance to end this. Right here, right now. To set things right. By removing him, we along with the rest of the galaxy will be able to breath again. I will right my wrongs, and redeem myself in the force."

"And what if you die?"

"Then I will enter into the arms of the force with a weight lifted off my shoulders and a heart as clean as the snow."

"I love you." I said, with tears in my eyes.

"I love you too, but you must go, now."

He said as he pushed me out the door and onto the speeder. Sabel was still asleep, tucked away on my lap with his arms around my neck. We kissed one last time before he pulled away, and I started the speeder. I would never forget the feel of his lips on mine, and I would carry that feeling with me forever. I also remember seeing something attached to his belt that I hadn't seen in years. His lightsaber. He was going to fight his master.

I didn't process this detail until I arrived at Kolin's settlement. At which point I placed my sleeping son into Kolin's arms, and promptly mounted my speeder and headed towards my settlement.

I felt it as soon as I turned the speeder around, the presence of something dark, darker than I had ever sensed before. I was pushing the speeder's limits, going recklessly fast, unlike my safe pace when my son was with me. I stopped the speeder a ways away and trekked silently on foot. I stopped on the ridge looking over my now dark home. I saw a hooded figure, darkness rolling off of the figure in waves.

"So the apprentice lives..." The man trailed off. "Again."

"You seem disappointed." Maul said smugly.

"I'll have to ensure that you don't escape with your life this time. You have proven to be a slippery fellow."

The man drew his blades, the same crimson red that Maul's were. He held one blade in each hand. Maul drew his double blade and assumed his stance. His dominant hand reached out in front of him holding his staff horizontally, while hit other arm sat ready and bent to initiate his attack.

The man, his old master, made the first move, ferocious and precise, but Maul was ready, parrying any strike that came his was.

"Very good, you still maintain your skills after years of disuse." He spat as he went for another strike. Maul caught his blade and it turned to a battle of strength. "Tell me, does the child look like you? a boy isn't it? But there isn't much to compare him to, is there? He still has all of his limbs, after all."

This elicited a growl from Maul, whose attacks increased lethally and powerfully.

This only drew amusement from the old, withered man.

"Still the same as all those years ago." He smirked. "I felt your child come into the force four years ago, a power like no other"

Maul stayed silent while they continued their battle.

"He will be mine, my former apprentice. Just as you were mine all those years ago."

This is when Sidious got the upper hand. He kicked Maul in the gut and sent him flying back. He picked his body up with the force and threw him about.

After another throw, the figure moved closer to Maul. He was groaning in pain and struggling to get up on one knee.

"What a shame." Sidious said as he sent electricity coursing through him. He screamed, he begged, but those words fell on deaf ears as the torture continued.

I couldn't bear to watch anymore. I had to do something.


	23. Epiphany

I don't know what lead me to jump from my cover, draw Maul's staff to my hands and make a swipe to slice the old bastard in half, but something did. I leapt with the force propelling my feet high into the air before I slammed down with more force than I thought I had.

Sidious stumbled and his electrocution of Maul ceased.He seemed to be enjoying himself too much to notice my lethal attempt. At the last moment he brought his blades up and blocked my attack.

"Ah, you must be the woman, the mother?" He chuckled sadistically.

I centered myself in the force, and I decided to let it carry my actions. With the force whispering in my ear, I attacked and parried the decrepit, but surprisingly agile Sith.

Maul was struggling to get to his feet, when Sidious sent me flying backwards with a powerful force push.

Sidious laughed his signature horrid laugh, before approaching me slowly, with murder in his eyes. Maul's blade had been knocked out of my hand by the push.

He towered above me, but I showed no fear. He raised his blade and brought it down. I closed my eyes and waited for the long overdue death of a Nar Shaddaa orphan. But the blade never came. I saw maul standing ten feet away, his arms outstretched, having force pushed maul about a hundred meters away.

"Let's go. Now." He snarled as he picked me up and set us on the backup speeder, we rushed away into the night.

"I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't have come! You should have just let me die!" He said. Anger dripping from his tongue.

"You and me both know he wouldn't of killed you." I said.

"He said that he was going to make sure that I did not escape him this time. If you would have let me go, there would be no tie to you that Sidious could follow."

"I couldn't just sit there!"

"It was selfish! Now our son cannot be with either of us. You have been in his presence so now he knows your signature in the force. You will never be safe, and neither will Sabel." He spat, angry and frustrated."

"I was a liability to you and Sabel. Now you are a liability too."

"We can just run away, never stay in one place for too long." I pleaded.

"What kind of childhood would that be for him?" He asked, exasperated.

"He would have his parents."

"The parents who have targets placed above their heads."

"I'm sorry, Maul. I couldn't stand to lose you, and I wanted Sabel to have a chance to know you, to remember you."

He sighed deeply. "I know." he placed a kiss on my forehead and soon after we arrived at Kolin's home.

"Kolin." Maul addressed, "We need to leave now."

"My ship is ready."

"Then we must be going." Maul said.

We boarded the ship and left our little oasis on Naboo.

I settled in the small bunk with Maul, healing his bruised and cut skin, then applying bacta to the tender, raw spots. I settled next to him in bed, my head o his chest.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked, listening to the steady thumps of his hearts in his chest.

"I was, selfishly so, though." He sighed, the steady beat in his chest remaining constant. "I was too caught up in my own goal that I forgot about what I loved most. I thought that dying would for my family would save them, but I have realized that living for them will ultimately protect them."

Another tear slid down my cheek. I had a lot of those that night didn't I.

"But my anger faded the moment I saw you and my son again. You saved me from being killed and allowed me to see the most precious items held in my heart again."

"Don't mention it." I said in a mix between a sob and a laugh.

He chuckled at this.

"Goodnight, Viera."

"Goodnight, Maul."

We flew into the galaxy in each others arms. Off to begin the next chapter of our lives. Into the unknown.


	24. Godspeed, My love

I awoke no more than a few hours later, feeling significantly better. But my heart sank as my hand wandered over to where Maul's body had been, just hours earlier. It was cold, leaving just the faintest imprint of his body on the sheet. My hand skimmed over something hard within the sheets. A holorecorder, with one recording loaded.

I pressed play and Maul's image flashed before me.

"Good morning, my love. If you are viewing this, then I am safely tucked away into the depths of the galaxy. Though a space in my heart will forever remain empty in the absence of you and our son, I live on knowing that I made the best possible choice in this impossible situation. I chose to live for those I love, instead of dying, and leaving them to be on their own. I will forever draw away the dark hands of the man who tormented me for the greater part of my life, always remembering that you were the salvation that drew me from his grasps. I took the ring you gave me, the one I always hang around my neck by a chain, and I laced it with the essence of your force signature. A lot of it to be exact. It will provide me with the comfort of a piece of you being by my side, but it will also serve as a strong beacon to Sidious, forever drawing him away from you and Sabel. Your use of the force may be weakened for a little, but it will return eventually. I had to draw on a lot of it to make this object more potent than your own signature. As for the ring I gave you, that also resides on a chain bound to your neck, I have laced it with a small amount of my force essence. Part of me will always be with you, my love."

At this, the Maul in the recording paused and wiped a tear from his cheek. He sighed deeply, then continued.

"I've never been one for monologues, but I'll make this exception for you." He chuckled, hearty and genuine.

He paused again, as if thinking what to say.

"Viera, you pulled me out of the darkest part of my life, and gave me the ever fleeting taste of happiness, true joy, and above all, love without boundaries. You will forever remain the favored object of my hearts, along with Sabel, a blessing above all else from the force. Upon my recovery from the depths of despair, evaluating the severity and gravity of the repercussions of my injuries that went without proper treatment for so long, I came to accept that I may never be able to have a family. Given the physical ailments that came with my injuries I considered myself sterile, now living on without the prospect of being able to call someone my child and love them accordingly. I festered in my own hate and anger for so long without opening my eyes to the possibility that I could live an existence without pain. I will forever be thankful for you, showing me that not everything in life needs to be about power and control. The force was gracious enough to bestow me with a woman who loves me despite what I have done. I am in no way proud of the pain and suffering that I caused in my youth and ignorance. I hope the universe can find forgiveness for me one day. I was but a shadow living in the depths of discarded materials. I was discarded. By the one person who I thought actually cared about what became of me, if not for my own well being than for his own personal gain. I sat in despair as my mind and sanity rotted away with what remained of my body. In my eyes, I was just half of a man, unwanted and hated by everyone. Yes, my brother did find me and give me purpose, but it was nothing like what you gave to me. I will forever be thankful for my brother. But I felt his death was catalyzed by my selfish actions, forcing him into a life he wasn't meant for. His dying words to me were ones of his self perceived failures. Saying he wasn't like me, and never was. Saying he was an unworthy apprentice. Things that upturn my stomach every time they come to mind. Through you I was brought closure for all that had happened in my life. You were the first ounce of kindness and gentle touch I ever received. You healed so much more than just my physical wounds."

He paused once again to wipe away another stray tear.

"This will be my final interaction with you. I wanted to leave everything that went unsaid all these years out on the table for you. Through in this reflection of my life, I find peace in knowing that one day we will be reunited under peaceful and loving rays of the force. I have given you and our son the chance to live, to love, and to prosper. And I will never regret this decision for a moment. I have this picture of the three of us together from when Sabel turned four, three months ago. I keep it in the lining of my tunic, right above my hearts. Whenever the world may seem dismal in the future, I will look upon your faces and remember what I have built with you, Viera. For now I must drift my focus from you to my master, and even Kenobi. Anything to get him off your scent. He can dive into my thoughts whenever he likes, so it is best to let my focus drift elsewhere. But you will never leave the deepest crevices of my mind, a part that is so utterly bright that Sidious has no grip there. We will meet again, my love, it is only a matter of time. And until then, Viera, I wish you godspeed, my love."

The Maul on the device smiled sweetly one last time before it flicked off.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, but no sounds emitted from my throat when I attempted to choke out a sob.

I sat at the end of my bunk as I tried to compose myself. I heard soft footsteps approaching.

"Mommy?" A soft voice called out.

"Yes, Sabel?" I answered in the most even tone I could bring up.

"Why are crying." He inquired, his little blue eyes gazing up to me curiously.

"Oh, I'm not-"

"Yes you are. I can feel it." He said is his all knowing four year old voice.

I sighed and scooped my son up into my lap.

"Wheres daddy?" He asked, "I can't feel him."

"Daddy had to do something for us." I said while cradling Sabel's small form.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

How the hell do I say this in a way a toddler could understand?

I sighed again.

"We were in trouble." I started. "Somebody that daddy used to know wanted to hurt him and us." I explained slowly while stroking Sabel's cheek.

"Why did they want to hurt us?" He asked, his piercing blue eyes looking into me.

"Because that man didn't like daddy." I said.

"Will I ever see him again?" Sabel asked with a sad look on his face.

"Probably not, Sabel." I said, Sabel looked away heartbroken. "But he will always be with us. And he will always love us, no matter what. Daddy had to go to protect us from the man. He knew that meant that he would never see us again, but he did it because he loved us."

Sabel was silent, his four year old brain trying to process something so far out of his grasp.

"Does he know that we love him?" He asked.

"Yes, he certainly does." 

With that, I cradled Sabel back to sleep in my arms, and placed him where his father had laid only hours ago.

I held the holorecorder close to my heart and breathed out my sadness into the force. I wrapped my fingers around the ring with Maul's force presence embedded in it. I felt him, and the whisper of an 'I love you' through the force.


	25. Peace at Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time shift to 2 BBY

Years passed since Maul's sudden departure from us, and I continuously felt his presence in the force grow darker. He said he had to shift his focus to something other than us to keep his master off our trail. But from the shear amount of rage and hate I felt radiate off him as the years grew longer made me draw my conclusions as to who he focused on to.

Kenobi.

I would occasionally feel the force around Sabel and I shake, and hear the distant echo of the old Jedi's name being said.

Sabel, Kolin, and I took up residence on Alderaan. Myself living in the countryside, about three hours away by tram from Kolin and Sabel, who resided in the capital city, Aldera. We figured it would be a good idea for me to live separate from them, so If Sidious did find me, Sabel would not be there. But I wanted to live close enough so that my son could know his mother. 

Sabel was up visiting me. He was twelve now, and donned his culture's signature tattoos. As per tradition, when he turned ten, we went to Iridonia, where many others of Dathomirian heritage resided to get his tattoos done. We arrived in the capital city of Malidris, and we quickly found the Dathomirian sub-sector. The Dathomirians around us were very welcoming when they saw that Sabel was of their kin, and they directed us to the temple where the ceremony was held.

The tattooing took five days, and it was painful. But Sabel was determined to get them and braved the pain.

Once the tattoos were done, even on his young face, it reaffirmed that he was the spitting image of his father.

We departed Malidris after that, and returned to Alderaan.

Sabel was inside, listening to the HoloNet while I was outside picking some vegetables for dinner.

Then I felt it- the force shake and that echo of a long forgotten Jedi's name.

Sabel came outside.

"Mom! Did you feel-"

"Yes, Sabel. I did." I wore a sad look on my face and Sabel retreated back inside. I could tell that all he wanted was to get the know the father that he didn't remember.

His abilities with the force weren't in tune enough to recognize the new emotion mixed in with the usual hate and fury. There was also desperation. The call through the force seemed exasperated and tired. Maul's presence felt weak. I had a sinking feeling in my gut.

Dinner went by uneventfully, but I still felt those lingering feelings of desperation, and another one formed, sadness. Once the dishes were away, she left the house and sat on a stump in her yard, she stared up at the sky. For the first time in a long time, I reached out and brushed his presence with the force. I knew how dangerous it was, so I tried to project it from another place with the help of the force. I felt his anger and hate, and I felt another presence with him- Kenobi.

I shut myself off from the connection, unable to watch it. But it didn't stop me from feeling.

I felt a my chest get sliced in two, only I wasn't injured. I fell to the ground, grasping at my chest. The pain faded into nothing quickly. 

Then I felt nothing from Maul. The bond was snapped clean. The air left my lungs and I gasped for air as I realized the gravity of these implications.

He was gone.

I began to feel the tears stream down my face. But then I heard something.

A whisper.

"My love, I will be waiting for you in paradise."

I sobbed, looking up at the sky, longing for the love of my life to return. But of course he never did. 

He was free now, free of the pain, the burden of keeping an evil Sith lord away from his family. The troubled soul of Maul was finally at rest, and one with the force.

Then I felt something on my neck. The necklace from so long ago. It hummed with life. And I felt the slightest presence of Maul. Not the durranged and revenge obsessed man, but the kind and loving father that I knew.

"Thank you," I whispered into the force, "for never leaving my side."

I sat on the ground in silent meditation. Reveling in the fond memories of my years with Maul.

"Mom?" Sabel's shaky voice called behind me.

"Yes, my love?" I said as calmly as I could.

"Something's wrong... something feels different, but I don't know what it is." Sabel said, worried confusion coating his question.

"Come, Sabel. Sit." I said, tears still occasionally running down my cheeks.

He sat down beside me, confusion rolling off him in waves.

"What do you recall of me telling you of your father?" I asked, calmly sitting in a meditative position.

"That he had to leave to protect us from someone." He said. "But that's about it."

"Your father was a smart and cunning man, Sabel. He was strong, fearless, and cared deeply for those he loved. You take after him in many ways." I said. "So I will tell you the story of your father, Maul."

"That was his name? Maul?" Sabel asked.

"Yes. He had one before that, but it was long ago forgotten by him." I said.

"What do you mean 'before'?" Sabel inquired, obviously getting more confused by the minute.

"Your father was born on Dathomir to a very powerful woman, the leader of a tribe of force wielders- witches, the Nightsister Clan."

"And what about his father?" 

"The culture of your father's people is a whole other topic for another time."

"Okay." He said.

"When your father was very young, he was taken from his mother by a very evil and dangerous man, a Sith." I paused. "Maul forgot his real name because the Sith gave him the name Maul, and slowly the memory of his actual name faded."

"So my father was a Sith?" He asked, almost accusingly.

"Well, yes. For a time he was." I paused and looked at Sabel and saw the hurt in his eyes to think that his father could have been so evil. "Your father was raised by this evil man, the Sith. Maul had no choice but to conform and follow the Sith's teaching. When he was around the age of twenty-two, he was sent to Naboo to assist in the invasion lead by the Trade Federation. Did you learn about that in school yet? In galactic history?"

"Yes." He said. "You mean the evil man in the textbooks who killed Jedi and attempted to kill the Queen of Naboo, is my father?"

"Yes." I said, thinking about how hard it would be to see his father in the history textbooks committing all sorts of evil deeds. "But you must remember that he had no choice in this matter. It was obey or die painfully."

Sabel nodded.

"And as you know he was defeated by the Jedi, Kenobi."

"Yeah, didn't he die though?" Sabel inquired.

"That's what the galaxy thought, but your father lived. Against all odds, he survived." I paused, getting my bearings together for the next part of the story, one of the parts that hurt the most. "He was cut in two by the Jedi. Losing everything one inch below the hip socket."

Sabel remained silent, calculating his next words. For force's sake he really was just like Maul.

"He fell down the incinerator shaft, but was able to get to the trash collection unit, at the base of the Theed palace. He was taken, along with the rest of the garbage in the unit to the planet Lotho Minor, where he remained for the next twelve years of his life."

"Why are you so sad, mom? That's all the past right?" Sabel asked, feeling his mother's sadness swell.

"I'm sad because I know he lived with ailments of losing his legs for the rest of his life. And even decades after the initial injury, he still dealt with the repercussions." I centered myself before continuing. "After those twelve years, his brother found him. Together, they established themselves in the criminal underworld, amassing quite a following."

"So on top of everything else, he was a mob boss?" Sabel was seeming to get angry now.

"Sabel, calm your emotions. What is done, is done, we mustn't dwell on the past and things we cannot change."

"Yes, mom." He said, reining in his emotions and composing himself."

"The same man who took and raised Maul, the Sith who abandoned Maul on Lotho Minor, then killed his brother, Savage. He captured Maul and let him be tortured by his new apprentice, someone who I never cared to learn the name of." 

"So I had another uncle?" Sabel asked.

He was so fond of Kolin, I could only imagine his heartbreak at not being able to meet the other ones.

"You had two other uncles. Maul had two half brothers. Savage was his eldest brother, and his younger brother was Feral. But he never met Feral, he died before Maul was found by Savage."

"How did Feral die?" Sabel inquired.

"That is also a topic for another time." I said, biting my lip at having to explain the brutality of his ancestors.

"Anyways, Maul's allies came and rescued him from the new Sith apprentice, and in the aftermath of all that, Maul's mother was killed. Along with most- if not all of the inhabitants of Dathomir." I paused. "This is where I entered Maul's life. I was stranded on an abandoned spice freighter freezing to death. His syndicate was trying to steal the weapons on board and the spice. But he sensed me and brought me back to his cruiser."

"So he rescued you? That seems very uncharacteristic of the person you have been describing." He said.

"Oh, believe me. Maul wanted to leave me to freeze to death on that freighter, I had cost him a lot of money that day." I chuckled at the memory. "But the force told him to rescue me, and he obliged."

"The force told him to?" He looked even more confused.

"Yes. Once you further your skills with using the force, you will be able to listen to it as well." I continued the story. "Maul hired me as a mechanic on his personal vessel, and after he sustained some severe injuries on Corellia, we became friends."

"How did you become friends? It sounds like he didn't like you all that much." Sabel asked, still confused.

"He was hurt badly, we had no medical droid, and he was not going to make it back to his cruiser. That's when I heard that whisper in my ear telling me what to do. I healed maul's wounds with the force and saved his life. Although he would never admit it." I chuckled at the fond memories. 

Telling my son of his father brought me some peace in the immediate wake of Maul's death. Maul would have wanted his son to know his story, to not make the same mistakes he did.

"We got closer and closer until we fell in love. This was around the Fall of the Republic, and he was briefly captured on Mandalore. But he escaped soon after when the clones turned on the Jedi." I said. 

Sabel had now joined me in gazing up at the stars.

"Yeah, we read about that in school."

"Hmm." I hummed in agreement.

"What happened after that?" He asked.

"Well nothing much, for the first five years after the beginning of the Empire." I said. "Then you came along."

We chuckled at that.

"How does Uncle Kolin fit into all this?" Sabel asked, wanting to know where his favorite uncle in the world fit into Maul's story, his story.

"Well, when I was five months pregnant, I was kidnapped and they attempted to hold me ransom. I met a young slave on board the ship named Hasnain. He was very kind, and was instrumental in Maul being able to find me."

"Who's Hasnain?" he asked, curiously.

"Hasnain, or we used to call him Hass, is Kolin. He was kidnapped from Nar Shaddaa, where I grew up, and sold into slavery on Corellia" I smiled at yet another fond memory. "It was the will of the force that brought us together sixteen years later. But I didn't know he was my brother until the day you were born. That night he had a force vision that revealed who I was to him."

"You and Kolin were separated for sixteen years?"

"Yes, but it doesn't matter in the end, the force reunited us." 

"But the force also tore you guys apart!"

"The force works in mysterious ways, Sabel. If we had not been separated, then Kolin would not have saved me when I was kidnapped, I owe my life and yours to him for saving us."

Sabel seemed to chew on that for a few minutes, I could see the gears turning in his head and then clicking.

"So like that whole thing about everything happening for a reason, that's what it is about?" He asked.

"Precisely." 

"But why are you telling me this? Why now?" He asked, wanting to get straight to the point. He was turning into a mini-Maul.

"I'm getting to that. When you were born, Maul faked his death and left the criminal underworld for good." I said, pausing to prepare myself for one of the most painful memories I had. "And when you were four, Maul's former Sith master found us, and tried to take you."

"Why me though?" He asked with worry on his mind.

"Because he could sense you were a powerful force user." She said, a realization hitting her right then. "He wanted to use you, just like he used your father."

He sat there, shocked.

"But your father sacrificed himself so that we could escape Sidious. The way the Sith found us was because he still had a connection to Maul, even if maul didn't know it himself. So during the night, he ran away, so that Sidious would chase him, and not us."

"Which brings us to now."

"Yes it does, my son." I exhaled deeply, feeling a tear escape my eyes. "That disturbance in the force you felt, the tremble, you felt your father die, just as I did mere minutes ago."

"I felt him... die?" He asked shakily.

"Yes. You may not remember him, but you still have a connection with him." I exhaled a breath I didn't even know I was holding in. "He lives through us, Sabel. Despite what his past may say about his character, there was no one he loved more in this world than you and I. And he was willing to give up everything in order to save us."

"So he really wasn't that bad of a person?"

"No, he wasn't evil. Just lost and broken." I paused. "You are very gifted in the force, Sabel, and your father didn't want you to go down the doomed path that he followed for so long. He didn't want you to make the same mistakes he did."

"He loved us?" Sabel asked with a tear falling down his cheek.

I wiped it away and held his young face in my hand.

"With every once of his being."

We remained outside for a while, staring up at the stars, knowing that Maul's troubled spirit was finally at ease and set to peaceful rest for the remainder of eternity.


	26. Carry On My son, We Will Be Waiting For You In Paradise

I began getting weaker as the days went on without Maul. 

By the third day after his passing, I could no longer walk. 

I wondered why my health was suffering so much. mentally, I had come to terms with my loss. I was at peace with his passing into the force. It felt right. The tired soul of Maul of Dathomir needed to rest, to bask in the eternal light of the force.

Then it hit me.

Every time that I healed him through the force, I would give him just a little of my essence, and over time it added up. Now that he was gone, the essence I gave him was gone too. My time to pass was imminent.

So this is it, I suppose, the final testimony from a dying orphan who outlived her life expectancy three times over. 

I never expected to make it to thirty-six. Let alone spend ten of those years with the love of my life and the loving father of my child. But now I leave Sabel an orphan, just as my parents left me. But I left him with someone. I leave behind my brother, Kolin, whom I love dearly. Who also loves Sabel as if he were his son. I can rest easy on that accord.

But what else have I done in my life? Am I worthy to enter into oblivion and exist with the one I love the most for the rest of eternity?

I saved a broken man from a path that only lead to darkness, sure. With that man I birthed a boy who I am almost certain will avenge us all.

I thought back to the words Maul spoke to me almost two decades ago, when I was but eighteen. That our destinies were intertwined. He thought it meant we would unite to defeat the Sith, and bring balance. Well I guess, in a way we did. One who was born to destroy and one who was born to create came together to create a being of true balance.

By the fourth day, I hear the calming whispers of the force fill my ears. Telling me that my son will save the galaxy. Telling me that it is my time to come, and to not be afraid. 

I can almost swear that I hear Maul's whispers among them, calling out to me, reminding me of his undying love for me.

I want to live on to see my son reach adulthood, to raise my child as a mother is supposed to. But its too late for that now. He will remember me. And now he will remember his father. I showed Sabel the holorecorder with the almost decade old recording on it. I pulled it up and showed Sabel the face of his father. I had him play me this sentimental recording one last time. I saw the love of my life declaring his undying love and devotion to me and our child. I told Sabel to keep it, so that he could understand his father.

On the fifth day, I could see him, Maul. He sat by my bedside, smiling gently down at me. Whispering 'I love you' and 'I can't wait to see you again' to me.

I also saw Serena. A face I hadn't seen in almost twenty years. She took one look at Maul and mouthed 'nice' to me. I laughed. It was hard in my weakened state, but I did. 

I also saw another Zabrak standing behind where Maul sat. He was taller, and had yellowish green skin. I assumed this was Savage, the brother Maul was so close to.

I saw Borris as well. I knew he had passed, but just not when. I reached out to see if he was there one day, and I found the space where his presence used to be empty. I felt around his garage back on Nar Shaddaa and found it abandoned. Borris' worn mechanics jumpsuit hung limp from its usual hanger. He was smiling at me, saying he was proud.

I saw a young girl, whom I didn't recognize at first, but then realized to be Morella. The long forgotten friend from day school.

My friends and family surrounded me, smiling sweetly over my degrading form.

On the sixth day, I closed my eyes for the last time. Sabel and Kolin were at my side. Behind them stood the spirits of everyone else in my life that I loved. I breathed my final breath and relaxed into the light enveloping me.

I heard a voice, soft at first.

"Viera?"

I spun and saw Maul. He was different, he had his real legs, something I hadn't realized until that moment. I embraced him.

"I told you we would meet again." He said as I buried my face in his chest.

"I never doubted you for a second." I said.

And off we went, to exist in the force for the rest of time. I had the love of my life right within my arms, and we watched over our son, whispering the will of the force as he embarked on his journey to save the galaxy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end :) thanks so much for reading. I'm thinking of making a part two, where we follow Sabel in his journey to save the galaxy. I'm thinking a thing where Sabel saves the universe instead of luke kind of thing. I don't know. PLease please please please comment suggestions or edits. In the meantime i'll be drawing up some ideas for my next piece.


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